Against A Brick Wall
by LostInTheDreams
Summary: Hakuba's gotten into a case and can't go to the police for help. When Kid shows up he must decide whether to accept the thief's help or fight a losing battle alone.
1. Through The Fire

THERE WILL NOT BE ANY YOAI! (I don't nessarsarly hate it but that's not what this story is...just saying)

I've been wanting to do this story for a while. I like Shinichi, don't get me wrong, but I love Kaito more (sorry to those who don't :) ) I have been liking Hakuba for a while (since the last Magic Kaito book) But he doesn't seem to act AT ALL like the anime/Detective Conan version of him.

So my version of him is a mix of both, I couldn't really see it one or the other because of the contradicting personalities so I tried to stick closer to the book version with the more sophistication of the anime version

_**~~ New: **_Thanks to Leuny I am now going through this story again and fixing some of the corrections ^_^

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_**Chapter One: Through the Fire**_

I felt a sharp pain as something impacted against my right hand. The Amsterdam Diamond flew across the floor and scattered to a halt near the wall in front of me. I tucked my injured hand beneath me and rolled towards the gem. The little light coming off and the moon didn't help me locate the white shine from the lesser diamonds around its edge.

Of course the light switches didn't work thanks to Inspector Nakamori.

Nakamori-san had been clever this time. They had secretly taken the diamond to a hotel room down the street from the museum that was currently showing it. He had brought along five or six of his men without verbal communication. Hakuba-kun had tried to be part of the operation but it seemed like they were able to shake him off. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to locate it but luck was on my side and Inspector Nakamori had passed Aoko and me as we were going to pick up a notebook she wanted to buy, while I was going to scope out the area.

It also seemed that Tantei-kun had managed to follow them, or me, now that I thought about it. We were currently in room 1623, on the 16th floor. I had used my hang-glider and had descended down the side of the 48-story building. I wouldn't have been impossible for him to see me fly over. We had originally been in room 1629 but it seemed like I hadn't managed to fool the young detective in the mist of the smoke I released after acquiring my prize.

I grabbed around blindingly near the edge of wall, too far away from the window or door to feel comfortable. I could practically feel the tranquillizer dart being aimed at my back as I fumbled around, an easy target in my white outfit even in the dark.

A sound caught my attention. It wasn't very loud or in any way disturbing but I couldn't ignore it. I shocked myself when I noticed that I stilled my hands and blocked out the world around me to see if I could hear the faint noise any better.

A part of my consciousness expected the dart to hit me at any second while I lay in the trance but it never came. I cocked my head to the side out of habit; it didn't really allow me to hear any better it just made me feel more at ease. The shouts and stomps of the Kaito Kid Task Force made the indistinct sounds even harder to decipher.

"What is it?" I heard Tantei-kun murmured behind me. He obviously couldn't hear anything and it wasn't like I could tell why such a quiet and far off sound had that kind of effect on me.

I didn't answer him but calmly walked over to the window to try and escape the loud noises coming from down the hall. I purposely didn't place my hands on the sill so whatever kind of truce he and I had come to wouldn't be broken.

I felt a shiver run down my spine but the reason for it still remained a mystery. Even at the open window, the sounds were clearly coming from the other side of the building. A few cracks and bangs were loud enough that I was sure he was able to hear them too.

I turned to face Kudo Shinichi. Some part of my subconscious had shut down and the instincts I usually relied on to escape weren't there to tap.

He still held his watch ready but the look on my face startled him enough to drop it. I couldn't guess what he saw, I didn't know myself.

I peeked out the door in time to see two officers running frantically past me towards the stairs. I looked to the right but the rest of the hall was deserted.

Quietly, I opened the door all the way with Tantei-kun at my heels. Some part of my brain must have been working because I caught myself placing my dark green cap on my head, swiping the monocle, and grabbing a long dark jacket out to hide most of the costume and cape. The detective never moved to stop me but he was keeping close.

We both made our way quickly down the stairs. I ducked onto either the forth for fifth floor hallway as one of the officers came running back up. It occurred to me that his attitude didn't seem any more unusual then normal during one of my heists. Tantei-kun raised his eyebrows at me, still not sure if he should be letting me move around so freely.

It was at this point that I started thinking. Whatever it was that had caught my attention obviously wasn't important. I was still incredibly curious but my thoughts now wandered to evading my small rival.

We made our way to the lobby but there were four officers blocking the door. I could have slipped away from him at this point but some honor bound part of me wouldn't allow it. It would appear, after all, as if I had deceived him in less honorable ways then I was accustomed to if I did.

I grabbed the kid and, with some protest, lifted him onto my shoulders as I tipped the hat to cover more of my face. From inside one of my pockets I grabbed a fake mustache and another hat that I carelessly placed on his head; it was going to be too big no matter how I angled it.

The police I encountered at the door let us through easily enough after I lowered my voice and, after a little surprise, Tantei-kun backed me up.

My pants still stood out enough that I stuck close to the wall as I made my way around the building. Outside wasn't nearly as calm as inside had been. There were people running through the streets, clearly upset but not panicked.

I could see plenty of police lights down the street but as I turned the corner I realized what had distracted me so thoroughly.

The apartment down the street was on fire.

I looked up in time to see one of the windows on the seventh floor, of the eight story building, blow out. Flames licked at the entire section and smoke was coming out of the one above it.

I did a quick survey of my surroundings. There were plenty of police since the museum they were 'guarding' was nearby but there were no firefighters. The fire must have started around the time of my heist so everyone was busy focusing on me instead of the danger.

I quickly took Tantei-kun off my shoulders and ran around the side hotel I just left to find the nozzle for a hose on the outside. I turned it on and made sure I soaked my hair and clothes before turning it off. Tantei-kun quickly turned it back on and soaked himself as well.

"You are not going in there." I amended with a smile and picked him up by the hood of his jacket. I could feel my body shake from a mix of adrenaline and frostbite.

"If you stop me, I'll stop you." He found a way to turn himself around and aim his watch at me.

"You can't help anyone in your current condition. Accept what you can't control." My smile remained in place as I tried to make him complacent as soon as I could.

"There are plenty of cops here and I could stop you, that's in my control." The steel in his eyes showed that he wasn't going to let this go. I sighed.

"Do as you please, just don't get into any danger."

He chuckled sadistically "We're running into a burning building and you don't want me to get into danger."

"Don't get in any _more _danger, Tantei-kun." I tore off the mustache and put the hat lower on my head. I also grabbed the young detective's hood and threw it over the cap.

A large crowd of onlookers and, most likely, the escaped inhabitants surrounded the police. It took no more than a second to get around an officer near the police line they formed. None were guarding the door, afraid if they got too close that they'd get hit with falling glass. The police weren't experience with dealing with fires and didn't know whether they sould enter the building or try to keep the crowd docile.

As I shoved the door open one of them shouted something to me but I didn't catch it before the door closed behind Kudo.

Having Kudo come along wasn't the best option but I didn't have any doubts that he would have stopped me if I hadn't allowed him to come. My sleeping gas was too far in my coat to reach quickly enough and getting myself arrested was not going to help get anyone trapped in the building.

We ran up the few flights of stairs without witness. The sixth floor stairway, however, was completely blocked off with smoke. I drew out part of my cape before slamming my body into the door that led to the apartments. I knew better then to try the handle and luckily my small frame had enough momentum that the burnt wood gave way.

I was immediately suffocated by thick clouds of smoke seeking a way to escape. Kudo had it easier being closer to the ground but I heard him start to cough.

I ducked down lower to escape the worst of it. Visibility was almost gone and if anyone was on this floor, odds of them being alive, let alone conscious, were slim to none.

Flames spread down the corridor a few feet in front of us. I took off the heavy jacket and draped it over the small detective.

"Stay here, if there's anyone…" I was cut off by a fit of coughing. "…you won't be able to help." I finished quickly before I could be cut off again. Unfortunately I still continued to cough.

Kudo understood the situation well enough and covered his head and body fully with the large coat. Good, one liability out of the way.

I felt the flames lick at my ankles as I made my way to the first apartment. The door was already open and a quick look around all the rooms inside showed that no one was there.

I went down the apartments, breaking down doors when necessary, burning black marks onto my long white sleeves. On the fifth and last one I was really starting to feel the smoke get to me when I heard a noise.

I made my way further into but didn't hear the sound again. "Hello?" I asked, the words coming out hoarse and not nearly as loud as I wanted.

A loud crack and the sound of wood giving way drowned out any answer I may have received. _Damn it._ I swore silently. The rest of the apartment was filled with flames and I would have to get passed them to explore the remaining area.

The entire living room was on fire. The small kitchen was the only area that wasn't engulfed in flames since there was nothing to feed them. I shoved my head in there quickly but saw nothing. Most of the apartments had two bedrooms and I quickly broke down the door to the first one I came to.

I staggered and almost collapsed into the fire before I found my balance. My eyes were dry and itched terribly. I wasn't sure if it was because of that or all the smoke, but my vision was hazy and the furniture was taking on really unique blobby shapes. I went over to the window and broke it with my elbow, it hurt, but the few gasps of fresh air I received made it worth it.

I sharply took in a breath that burned on its way down my throat before facing the room again. After a few seconds I let the air out in a sigh when I realized no one was there. Maybe I hadn't really heard anything. The creaking noises of the floor were getting worse but I wasn't going to leave it to chance, I only had one room left.

The door to the other room was closed as well; being further in the back of the apartment meant the flames hadn't had a chance to get all the way through yet.

Breaking this door down was more difficult because it wasn't damaged or charred. It took me four tries to finally have the door give in. I was coughing badly again and my vision was starting to blur. I noticed blood at the base of my pants and lifted my right arm up, seeing the bloody and scorched skin on my shoulder and forearm. That was going to hurt later.

"Hello?" I was barely able to call out. I felt so tired of all this. When were the firefighters going to arrive? I still had the floor above to check so I couldn't give up just yet even with fatigue fighting against my every action.

I was just able to hear a small noise. My hearing was shot and I couldn't tell what direction it came from but I was sure I heard it.

The room I was in wasn't on fire yet, just the edges of the carpet from where I opened the door, so I had free reign. There was no one in the room.

"Must be going crazy." I mumbled to myself. I was about to leave when I noticed the closet door open a little and heard a small cough followed by a quiet, high pitched, call for help.

I quickly ran over to the closet to be met with a small girl no older than eight. She had long black hair tied in two loose ponytails. Her eyes were full of tears and her face was ashen but other than that she looked fine.

"Come here, I'm going to get you out." I said gently as I could, my voice not helping to sooth her. The minute she saw me the hope that had entered her eyes on my arrival vanished. She moved further into the closet, away from me.

"What's the matter? Don't worry about the fire; I'll make sure you're safe." I tried to console her but she just shook her head and hid behind her knees.

"My daddy says you're a bad guy. And daddy says I should never talk to bad guys." She winced as I reached towards her.

I pulled my hand back, not wanting to scare her. I could just drag her out of the closet and get her to safety but she might fight and get herself burned.

"What can I do to make you get out of the closet so I…" I started coughing, the room was quickly being attacked by the fire and smoke, it wouldn't be long before it reached the closet.

"Please let me help you, would a bad guy really run into a fire to help you?" I asked her sincerely. I was running out of options fast. I pulled a rose out of thin air and handed it to her with a strained smile. "Please trust me until I get you out of this, then you don't have to be anywhere near me."

Given the choice between going with me and dying the girl nodded after a moment of consideration.

I took my cape off which was dry at this point and wrapped it around her body and face. "Try not to breathe too much…." My words slowly died on my lips, not having enough moisture to carry on.

I continued back to the staircase. Little coughs from the both of us were the only thing that could be heard over the collapsing floor. When I made it to the stairs I found them covered with flames. It stopped after the first few steps and I found Kudo on the floor below.

I fell to my knees, exhausted. "Get the girl out of here." I told him as I unwrapped her from my cape. I didn't take it away from her because she was clutching onto it like a safety blanket. I didn't need it anyway.

Kudo looked at me scrupulously. Now that I was out of the fire I could hear sirens coming from outside. "You should get out of here too." He replied, his eyes meeting mine. I smiled.

"Not just yet." I picked myself back off the ground and headed up the stairs to the top floor.

"I'll be back." I heard him shout before escorting the girl down the stairs. She turned to me before I fell out of view and I heard a quiet 'thank you' follow me up the stairs.

The top floor hallway was just as bad as the lower one but it didn't seem like the fire reached far into any of the rooms. I went for the open door first and made quick work of the first few apartments. It looked like most of the residents were able to evacuate before the fire got deadly.

The next few rooms I entered weren't as clear of flames as the first few, some were even worse than the floor below if that were even possible. With the fire spread in such a spastic manner, it made me think it was done maliciously. I wasn't a detective so I let the thought fall silent for the time being.

Halfway down the hall I could hear hushed voices.

"Is anyone in there?"

I was greeted by silence before I heard a woman call out.

"Yes, there are seven of us in here and we can't break down the door." I could hear the tears in her voice. _Seven_ I thought; this was going to be hard.

"Get away from the door." I commanded. My shoulder was killing me, and the door looked solid. I took a breath and hit it as hard as I could. I grunted and clenched my teeth together as the door stayed standing. I took a step back to get more force and felt the flame start to burn through my shoes. Great, hopefully my feet wouldn't get burned before I made it out.

I shoved again but it wasn't until the third time that I was able to break it down. When I got my bearings back together I was shocked to see an equally startled face looking back into my own.

Hakuba.

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Ok. Hakuba wasn't in this part of the story... you must WAIT...hehehe...

I don't know if Shinichi will be making that much of an apperance as he has right now, just gonna have to see how it goes.


	2. Smoke and Mirrors

All credit for the Magic Kaito and Detective Conan characters goes to Gosho Aoyama but the other non-recognizable characters in this chapter, mainly the children, are all mine and will be playing their own roles.

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_**Chapter 2: Smoke and Mirrors**_

"What are you doing here?" we both asked each other at once, though his voice came out significantly louder and clearer.

I could feel as Hakuba's eyes ran over my body. Besides being burnt and bleeding I was still wearing the Kid outfit minus my monocle, cape, and top hat, which had been replaced by the cap. I thought about that and chuckled to myself. That must look ridiculous.

Hakuba got over the surprise quicker than I did. "Grab one or two of the kids." He picked up a girl around three and a boy about ten climbed up onto his back. The boy grabbed hold of Hakuba around the neck instead of the shoulders and I wondered briefly how he was able to breathe.

It was at that point that I noticed, besides Hakuba and a woman not much older than me, the other occupants of the room were children.

I nodded to Hakuba who waited as I lifted up a small girl who faintly resembled the one in the closet, with dark hair pulled back and tears in her eyes.

She desperately grabbed at the hand of another girl around her age. I bent back down to pick the other girl up as well, my right arm protesting as I did. I had to hope I could hold onto them both. It would have been better if I'd put one on my back like Hakuba had but the girls didn't want to be separated, even by so little.

The woman got the oldest, a boy with dark hair and eyes around twelve or thirteen, onto her back. Hakuba moved to the side so that I could take point.

"How bad is it?" The smoke was already starting to fog up the room and left little time for communication.

"Bad." I paused, attempting to raise my voice. "Everyone should hold their breath when we leave." To the woman and Hakuba I added. "Stay close to me."

Hakuba winced as the girl in his arms put his face in his neck. I looked him over more thoroughly this time and noticed his hands and forearms were smeared with blood and severely burned.

As Kid the first question that came to mind was, _can you carry her_? But it wasn't the question that left my mouth.

"Are you alright?"

"Just get us out of here." He gave me an over-confident smile. He smiled way too much, now that I thought about it. He's always so arrogant and sure of himself, too similar to my own personality to feel comforting…

Even now I was smiling. We both were because we both had a job to do and if we didn't, if the kids saw us unsure of ourselves, we'd lose the illusion that, no matter what, we were going to make it out of this.

I led the way out of the room, Hakuba allowed the woman to get between us so she'd feel more secure. As we exited several of us started coughing as the thick, dark, smoke entered our lungs.

I kept pushing forward, feeling as fire caught on the carpet made its way to my feet and legs. The pants, thanks to dad, were made to be fire-resistant and it made me worry about the others.

I heard the woman stifle a small sound of pain and felt her hand grab the back of my coat. I turned back to her, still moving forward through the fire, and noticed that it was almost impossible to see her.

I swore to myself as both girls in my possession started coughing and trying to push their faces close to my chest.

After what seemed like an eternity of wading through the suffocating fumes we made it to the stairs. The smoke here wasn't any better but the fire had less to eat away at, leaving the path more open.

I made my way slowly down the second step so that neither the woman nor I would fall. If that happened and neither of us had our arms to rely on, it could be disastrous.

With my arm against the wall to keep my bearings we made our way slowly down. When we hit the floor below when we ran into the fireman that must have arrived while I had been searching upstairs.

The first firefighter noticed me and stammered to a halt, unsure of how to react. I handed him both girls with a smile that would have been wider if I would have had the strength to manage it.

"Get them out of here." He looked for a second more before running the girls back down the stairs.

"Follow him." I ordered the woman as another firefighter made his way up. She went over to him and followed him down without a backwards glance.

Hakuba stumbled down the last step and came up coughing. I grabbed the small child out of his hands with some resistance on his part.

"Come on. The next flight should be clear." I reassured him.

I didn't know what to do. My body was in pretty bad shape from all the smoke and I didn't think I'd be able to escape the police. Worse, I didn't have anything hiding my face. The dark hat did little to mask me and once I out of the smoke I'd be vulnerable.

The girl in my arms made me forget all this. Barely old enough to walk she had my coat and part of my shirt clutched in her fists and was looking at me with dark, cream-colored eyes.

Two floors down, safe from the smoke, I unbuttoned my coat and used the inside to wipe some of the soot off her face.

"You're just fine." This time my smile was wide enough, egged on by the large one I received for her, baby teeth shining brightly. She nodded and buried herself deep into my shirt only to peek back up at me.

The childish gestures made me laugh, startling Hakuba.

"Are you going insane now?" He asked, smile strained. He was serious.

I looked down at the few flights left to transcend before putting me head-to-head with the police. I thought of putting the girl down and risking going out the window, the glider wouldn't get enough air.

"Maybe I am." I continued down the steps, every fiber of my being forcing me the other way.

Hakuba sighed before grabbing my shoulder, wincing and drawing back as he remembered that touching things with burned hands was a bad idea. At least he still had nerves in them; it looked like he stuck them into boiling oil.

He put the boy down as he removed his dark jacket and handed it to me.

"I expect it back."

I was surprised that Hakuba had given it to me. I had left my coat with Kudo so I had no way of disguising myself, at least, not if I couldn't reach the clothes I had stashed away in the other building that I had prepared from my escape earlier.

I stared at his outstretched hand, not daring to believe him. If there's one thing that high school taught me, it was everyone had a catch to their generosity. Mostly these thoughts only came up with Aoko and Akako but Hakuba was sneaking in there ever since his call from England, trying to help me with a heist.

I doubted his intentions but put the girl down and grabbed the coat from him and swept it over my shoulders. The sleeves were burned less than mine so they hid the costume pretty well, the smoke did a good job of matching the pants and shoes.

"Why thank you, Hakuba-san. I'll be sure to return it." I bowed slightly to him, my hand at my chest. I was going to keep that act up for as long as I could.

I picked the girl back up and made my way down the rest of the floors as Hakuba repositioned the boy on his back without trying to touch him. Hakuba was wearing a long-sleeve white shirt that had been hidden under his jacket and now had curiously only darkened in the front where it had been open to the smoke but hopefully no one would care about that enough to notice.

Firefighters and police met us at the ground floor, surrounding us in seconds. I took the soot-covered sleeve and wiped it across my face to hide it under something.

One of the firefighters tried to take the girl from me but she refused to let go so he decided he'd grab my arm and help us both out. The little boy was let down off of Hakuba's back but grabbed onto his shirt, a familiar face is more comforting than the masked firefighters.

The noise and clear cold air that hit me when I exited thrilled my senses. The dark, suffocating building had the same amount of impact on my mental state as it did on my physical, allowing my thoughts free access to my situation and the fear had a chance to take over.

I was up and thinking again, no longer clouded by thoughts of worry and fire. I was planning the best way to escape the massive crowd of policemen when a man came running up to me.

"Kei! Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" He grabbed the girl from me who let go reluctantly. He rubbed his face against hers and nuzzled her just to make sure she was real.

"Thank you so much!" He grabbed me with his free hand and hugged me.

It shocked me enough that I wasn't moving when he let me go. "Thank you…Thank you…" I heard him continue murmuring as he held her. I wasn't sure whom he was thanking that point, me or perhaps some God, but it didn't matter. I smiled without any amusement, just real, uncensored happiness.

"Hey mom, that's the bad guy that saved me." I tuned in time to see the eight-year-old girl that I had first come across. She was still wrapped up in my cape with her mother curled around her and her father standing behind them, a gentle hand on his wife's shoulder. The girl was pointing at me. Okay, time to go.

I shrugged my shoulders, hoping neither of her parents cared enough to leave their daughter and follow me as I walked away. Unfortunately a policeman grabbed hold of my arm.

"What she's talking about?" He asked me.

"I have no idea; maybe I just look like a bad guy." I replied easily, trying to slip into a more comfortable state of mind.

"Really?" he continued dubiously.

"Really…" I started coughing again. My lungs were aching and breathing was difficult. I hadn't comprehended how badly I was hurting until I knew the children were safe.

The policeman put a hand on my back and led me over to one of the many ambulances, his tone of voice doing a one-eighty. "You should go to the hospital."

"No" I tried to protest and understood that would only make the situation worse. "My mom will be… worried and she…. doesn't have a… very good heart." I lied through my teeth, that last word coming out more of a cough than anything distinguishable. He seemed to take me at my word.

"We'll get you some oxygen but you really should get yourself checked out by a doctor." I nodded, only just holding onto consciousness.

He sat me on the bumper of one of the ambulances, jumping in to get a tank and mask. I watched through blurry eyes as the building continued to burn. The firefighters were doing everything they could but didn't seem to be altering the blaze. I coughed into my hand, realizing I hadn't bothered to remove the gloves. I noticed blood.

I wiped the side of my mouth and saw the blood smear against the white, probably leaving another trail of soot on my face. Great, the fire must have burned my throat pretty bad. I wouldn't be able to swallow without pain for weeks but on the good side I'd be spending my money on ice cream for a while without feeling guilty.

The man came back with a tank and I hid my hand. He strapped it to my face as I laid my head against the cool metal of the vehicle.

"You should wait a while before you leave, try and take deep breaths." He got out but didn't move very far from me. I felt my eyelids start to droop and shook myself to keep from falling asleep.

A minute later Hakuba was placed next to me and given an oxygen tank as well.

"You didn't leave?" There was genuine confusion in his voice and his smile was gone.

"Hakuba-san, no matter how highly you hold me, I'm not immortal." It was the first time I'd admitted so much to anyone, not even myself, but I was too tired to care. My head fell back against the metal siding.

One of the doctors took a cloth to Hakuba's hands and forearms, a hiss actually escaping him now and then. Bandages were then put on. "We'll have to treat the rest at the hospital." The medic informed him. Hakuba nodded but I noticed he did so while still watching me, he'd been watching me the whole time.

As good as it felt letting the oxygen relax my lungs I couldn't stay with the detective anymore, unless I was willing to accept the consequences if I gave him solid proof of my identity. Which, I was _not_ going to do.

"Hm, you made it out." My adrenaline kicked up a notch as I turned to face Kudo.

"Yes, since I didn't run into you I have to figure that they kicked you out Tantei-kun." He nodded, embarrassment and anger showing on his face before he covered it up and looked at me.

"You didn't get the jewel." In all the excitement I completely forgot that tonight's heist was still laying somewhere in the apartment. If Kudo had been forced out of the burning building, odds were he had retrieved it long ago.

"Too bad, but I think I managed to steal something better." I smiled and looked into the crowd, wondering what would have happened to them if I hadn't come, if I made a difference at all.

Hakuba looked down. "Conan-kun" I heard him acknowledge, this would have been the first time they'd teamed up on a heist if Hakuba had been there. The thought scared me.

Wait a minute.

"Hakuba-san, why were…" my throat constricted and I tasted blood in my mouth. I held back the urge to start coughing again and it felt like I was going to be sick. I _really_ didn't want that to happen with how badly my throat already hurt.

Both of them stared at me, waiting to see if I was going to finish my sentence. The mask hid most of the features of my face but it wouldn't be enough to hide the blood if I opened my mouth. I shook my head as if I had asked as an afterthought. I would have to find out why Hakuba was in that building and not at the heist later.

Kudo was sharper than Hakuba on most given days and immediately picked up on the reality of the situation.

"How long were you in there?" My breathing had been irregular for a while and not being able to answer, even with a trifling remark, left me unable to defend myself.

I settled for shrugging my shoulders. Even with both detectives around me I still felt myself falling asleep. I couldn't keep my head up much longer and my eyes were already closing, blinking them to keep awake only hurt because I had no liquid in my eyes.

Kudo noticed blood running down my right arm. I had barely looked at it since singeing it badly after breaking open one of the doors. He jumped up into the ambulance and tried to pull the sleeve back.

I couldn't hold in a yelp of pain. I grabbed my arm back quickly and held it at my side, protected by the wall. I could feel as more blood started sliding down it. Kudo glanced at me and then the ambulance, making his way inside. Hakuba was looking at me with open sympathy and worry which only made the situation worse. _Do not let him know it's you. Don't give him proof._

Kudo came back after a minute with scissors in his hand. "Take off the jacket."

I laughed quietly to myself. "Now why…" I stopped talking as I tasted the blood in my mouth again. Why had I forgotten talking was out of the question at the moment? Hakuba removed his mask, got behind me, and started trying to remove it on the right side with his bandaged hands.

Not being able to rely on my words was a big problem for me. I would have yanked away from him if I hadn't seen how bad his hands were. I sighed mentally, giving in for the time being and removing my arm from the sleeve.

The jacket still covered up most of the suit but someone would notice my strange attire if they cared to look.

Kudo took the scissors and started to cut my white… wait it was black and gray now, sleeve from high up. He then cut in a straight line down the back of my arm.

Carefully he tried to remove the material and I winced. He looked at me and grabbed a bottle of water he had also brought back with him. I hadn't even noticed it before.

Grabbing the material gently and barely lifting, he ran the water down my arm which, at the same time it was soothing, was painful when he pulled.

Kudo only had to do that twice and the material came away smoothly. Looking down at my arm I saw a mess of burns from a patch on my shoulder to one about six inches long near the crook in my elbow, flesh burned badly and blistered in spots.

Hakuba grabbed the bandages from where they were left and handed them to Kudo who proceeded to wrap up my arm.

"Why," I whispered this time so my voice couldn't betray me "do the two detectives who want nothing more than to catch me, want to suddenly help me." I added a smile along with the questions running through my head, not that they could see it. "Want to make be pretty for jail?"

I felt Kudo hit me upside the head, light enough to not cause a headache but hard enough to prove his point. "Because, stupid. Why would they arrest some kid who just saved a bunch of children?"

My blood ran cold. _Kid? _When did Kudo figure out how old I am? I don't remember him having mentioned it before. I was sure I didn't give anything like that away the few times we'd run into each other.

Hakuba hadn't failed to notice the implications either. Though neither him nor Kudo have been in close contact with one another for prolonged periods of time, both were able to silently communicate something that was going over my head. I didn't like it one bit.

I slipped the jacket back on over the bandages. "Well, thank you Tantei-kun but I must…" I felt as someone sharply pulled back on the jacket as I tried to get up. It made me lose my balance and I fell clumsily back into the ambulance. I heard Hakuba swear has he held one of his hands close to himself.

"We are nowhere near…" Hakuba trailed off for a second. "Where I believe you live and taking the train there would take hours." He dug into his back pocket and came out with a bankcard. "Go get a room in a hotel. Give it back to me when you return the jacket."

I held the card steadily in my hand but my smile wavered. "And why are you offering this to me?" I took the mask off to talk to them since having it on only made my words harder to hear.

"If it makes us both feel better about the situation let's say it's for getting me out of the building. I couldn't have done so without help." He turned away from me, clearly not looking as much at war with himself as I was expecting.

"I appreciate it." I got back up this time without interruption and felt my pants scrape against my raw ankles. I looked over at Hakuba and noticed how his pants had been burned a good four or five inches off. "Let me feel we're a bit more even."

I grabbed the bandages and water from near Kudo and bend down near Hakuba's feet. He tried to pull them away. "It's not necessary."

I grabbed his shoe to hold him still without hurting him, my own ankles screaming in protest from being bent. I took the shoe off and pulled his sock low enough to be able to get at the burns. I then poured the water over it before bandaging them up and replacing them both. I did the same to his other foot.

"Thank you." He had his head turned to the side, more out of embarrassment than anger. I nodded and did the same to my own ankles. Though I had been walking through the fire more than he had, it didn't spread as much because my pants didn't burn.

I turned to them both, unsure of what to say.

"We'll catch you when were on even terms, not when there are people in the way." Kudo said before I could think of something.

"Yes, the game is much more fun when lives aren't at stake." I happily returned.

"But there are always lives at stake…" I barely caught Hakuba's words; I didn't think he'd meant to say them out loud.

"That's not true Hakuba-san, there…"

"Your life is in danger if no one else's." He cut me off.

"Hakuba-san, I'm not going to die."

"If you're not risking your life physically, you're risking you're chance of living. There's not much of a difference in your case." He met my gaze. "I still haven't given up. I never got an answer from you the first time but I'll find out why you're doing this. A thief wouldn't risk his life and the prize to save people who might, or might not, be trapped in a burning building."

He was getting too close to home for me to feel comfortable with.

"I never said I was your conventional thief." I left them, feeling strangely like Hakuba and Kudo both knew more then I wanted them to. I hoped to make it somewhere safe before I passed out or got sick.

As it was, I made it to a hotel two blocks down and paid for the room. I didn't even have the energy to guess what the manager had thought about my somewhat overcooked, mismatched outfit, but Hakuba's card went through so they had no reason to object. Once in the room I passed out on the bed still in the charcoal-blackened clothes.

My dreams that night were filled with fire.

...

...

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**DISCLAIMER:**I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TREAT INJURIES! ANYTHING YOU SEE HERE CAME FROM GOOGLE AND AS THEY RECOMMENDED, YOU SHOULD GET TO A HOSPITAL IF YOU ARE BADLY INJURED. DO NOT IMITATE ANY OF THE CHARACTERS! (had to put that in just in case)

I must apologize if the scene where Kaito is wrapping up Hakuba's ankle seems to much like the scene from the anime version of Deathnote, between Light and L. It was not ment to. It was only supposed to be a sign of gratitude and there will not be any Yaoi (at least not purposely) to come


	3. In Enemy Territory

**DISCLAIMER: **ALL MEDICINE FOUND IN THIS CHAPTER IS CONCOCTED BY ME AND WILL PROBABLY MAKE YOU REALLY SICK IF YOU TRY IT. I BARE NO RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD YOU TRY ANY OF IT. (I DON'T KNOW IF IT MIGHT ACTUALLY WORK...I'M NOT TRYING IT)

Thank you for all the reviews (keep it up, I REALLY LIKE REVIEWS!) and for Ocianne helping me with the honorifics! THANKS!

I also know NOTHING ABOUT ACHICTECTURE so if I said something weird about Hakuba's house, SORRY...I'm an idiot...

ALL THE CHILDREN ARE MINE! I DON NOT own the Magic Kaito character, they belong to Gosho Aoyama... (so sick of saying that...IF your reading it you KNOW who they are) I also am not familiar with popular names so if one of the children has a weird name, whatever.

THANKS TO ALL THE READERS AND YOUR AWSOME REVIEWS!

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_**Chapter 3: In Enemy Territory**_

I never made it to school the next day. By the time I woke up it was past noon and I spared a second thought at the extra night tacked on to Hakuba's card. I shrugged my shoulders. He had enough money to go around.

I looked, slightly guilty, at the new black stains on the blankets that I never managed to get under last night and picked up the phone.

I called my house and was a little surprised when my mom got in instead of the answering machine because she should have been at work. I had managed, somehow, to get home by dawn on all my 'outings' and I could imagine her reaction to finding my bed empty that morning. The late night news most likely reported the fire and my mom knew me better than anyone else.

"Kaito are you okay?"

"I'm…" Talking definitely hurt. Ouch. I would not be doing it anytime soon and if I did make it to school I would have to do something to keep people from prying. Tricks started to form in my head as I thought about it until I was able to talk again.

"A little hurt." I admitted to her. She wouldn't buy my outright lies if I couldn't mask them. She waited a few moments before answering me.

"Ok, come back home as soon as you can." The worry in her voice made me sad. It was just a few burns; I would have to get home quickly to reassure her.

"I will." I barely got out before the pain could stop me. We hung up and I used the phone once more to call a cab. There was no way I had the stamina to take the bus and transfer to the train. I should stay closer to home next time I decided to be heroic.

The cab came and it took a little more than half-an-hour for me to get home. I paid the man with Hakuba's card and made a note to myself that I would have to repay him somehow for his help; Kudo too if I could manage it.

Mom greeted me at the door and hugged me. I yelped in pain and pulled back, grabbing my wrist. She instantly released me and looked ashamed of herself which hurt more than the pain had. I quickly got my right arm out of the way and grabbed her as tightly as I could without hurting either of us. It took her a few tentative moments but she hugged me back and we made our way inside.

A few quiet votes of reassurance about my physical condition later and I made my way up to my room. I took off Hakuba's burnt coat and wondered for a second why he would want it back with how bad of a condition it was in. It took a while but I managed to get what was left of my costume off and store it safely in the back of my closet where it wouldn't be found. I put on a dark gray, short-sleeved shirt and a pair of white shorts and fell asleep upon impact with my bed, this time managing to get the covers over me.

I woke up about two hours later to the smell of my mom's cooking. I got slowly out of bed and made my way downstairs.

"Hello, Kaito. You're just in time for lunch." She smiled at me and noticed my bandages now that I didn't have sleeves or pants to hide them.

"Let me see." She tried to take them off and I pulled away.

"It's fine." The words didn't come out comprehensible. It sounded like I had said _inhind_. I shook my head, trying to get her to understand.

"Kaito, you're hurt. You could at least let me do this much." There were tears in her eyes but she didn't look away and wasn't going to give up. I sighed and gave in for the second time in such a short period. I'm not the type to be so submissive and it was driving me crazy.

Mom took some warm water in a bowl with a soft cloth and set it next to me. She tenderly removed the bandages and I heard her intake of breathe as she saw the burns.

"Hopefully they won't scar." She started patting the warm cloth over the wounds but not soaking them. Both of us were experienced with injuries and knew that getting burns too wet would only make it harder for them heal. I made sure that I didn't show her how much it hurt. She wrapped my arm up back in fresh bandages and I kissed her on the cheek, unable to thank her.

"I don't know what to do about your throat but I'll look into it." She said with an equal amount of determination. I waved my hand at her to show that she didn't need to do anything. She brought out lunch and I heard my stomach growl.

Mom had made a sweet omelet for me with rice that was just a little too overcooked, making it easier to chew and swallow. I smiled at her and she returned it.

I was halfway through eating, which still really hurt but I was too hungry to care, when someone came knocking at the door. Mom motioned for me to continue while she got up to answer it. I heard Aoko's voice enter the room a moment later, worry leaking into every word.

"Is Kaito home? I know he wasn't in school today and he's such a big fan of the Kid that I was afraid that he may have been hurt. My dad told me there was a fire nearby and Hakuba-kun wasn't at school today either and…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

I shoved in a mouthful of egg before sticking my head out of the kitchen to have a reason not to talk to her. The little bit of rice stuck to the side of my face that I hadn't managed to catch helped.

"Kaito!" Shouted and ran towards me. I saw the indecision as she debated whether to hug me or hit me. She did neither.

"Kaito, I know you ditch school all the time but you should really come to class more often. I was scared you had gotten caught up in the fire yesterday." She looked me over and I made sure to keep my arm hidden behind the kitchen wall. I mumbled something with the food in my mouth, not really using my voice. She smacked me lightly on the side of the head.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." I smiled, my cheeks puffed out in a funny manner. She grabbed on the front of my grey shirt and sighed.

"I was really worried about you today, Kaito." She ran back to the front door "don't scare me like that again!" She yelled angrily but I caught the relieved smile on her face that she tried to hide after she said goodbye to my mom.

I relaxed when she was gone and went upstairs. I wasn't sure how I was going to get Hakuba to explain what he had been doing in the apartments when the building was on fire. He wasn't stupid. If he had been watching he wouldn't have blindingly run in and gathered everyone on the higher floor. He had to have been there to begin with and I had to know why.

I couldn't go see him as Kaito. I was not going to give the detective anymore to pin on me. He had me pretty tightly strung as it was and if it wasn't for his age, I was sure I would have been at least hauled in for questioning by now.

So I had to go see him as Kid. I was Kid last night when I met up with him and it was Kid who had to at least return his bankcard. I made my way behind my dad's portrait to get another outfit. I very rarely had to dispose of them like the one from last night so there were plenty of spares.

Shoving the new suit into a duffel bag that I had gotten from the back of the room I rolled my eyes at myself as I realized that I had to go back up to my room to change my current clothing. I slugged the bag over my good shoulder and went up to my room to get pants and a warm sweater. It was the beginning of winter so the chill in the air was here to stay.

I found a comfortable blue sweater that I never wore anymore. The arms were a little too long and I disliked cuffing my sleeves since they tended to get un-cuffed at the most inconvenient times. Being slightly too large for me made it much easier to put on so I left my annoyances in the closet and told my mom that I was leaving, kind of, it sounded more like I had told I was _heaving_. She understood.

I took my own cash with me this time and caught a bus heading towards Hakuba's. It took about fifteen minutes and I had to walk a block which was really killing my feet but I made it in one piece.

I'd only been to the detective's house once or twice and both visits were to scope the place out. I had never planned on breaking in, maybe delivering one of my warning cards to him personally but nothing more than that. Which meant that all I knew was the basic outline of the house. I had no idea what kind of security Hakuba had put in since he had initially arrived. I was sure that after meeting me he had beefed it up .

His house was huge. About the same size and style of Kudo's Americanized house. Compared to the surrounding architecture, it was like an apple in the middle of a pile of oranges. The roof was dark and slanted, decorated in black rubber tiles. The house itself was three stories and had large front oak doors with knockers. It was made out of some type of dark brick with white shutters that contrasted painfully with the rest. Bad taste apparently ran in the homes as well as his family. There were hedges surrounding the property and a small iron fence starting at the end of the walkway.

I scaled the hedges easily enough, with some of complaints from my legs and arm which unfortunately had to hold most of my weight. There were a few scattered trees around the property and the house itself was surrounded by bushes, some blooming multicolored flowers.

I made my way around the security cameras and laser sensors in the ground decidedly easier then I had the bushes. I wondered how the detective felt that this little security did him any good. Any half-ass thief could have made it passed the hindrances with little trouble.

I thought about it longer and wondered if he had just done it because he was expecting me. I shivered. I liked being expected; I made it my priority to be. I _did not_ like being predicted and it was something Hakuba seemed unusually good at.

There was a peach tree in the back that grew just a little too close to the house and I made my way over too it.

I grabbed my outfit out of the bag and put it on. The left side of the cape I found difficult to clip onto the coat because my right arm wouldn't bend correctly. In the end I took off the coat and clipped it on first so that it wouldn't require me to bend anymore then getting my arm in the sleeve.

Ready, I made my way over to the back window where I knew his library was. The windows here were large and unhidden by the trees to let the natural light in. I had a glass cutter sitting in my pocket but I didn't want to use it. Money, or no money, Hakuba had helped me more then he should have and I wasn't going to go and ruin his windows. At least not yet.

The windows were locked near the middle and it was very hard to slip in my metal piece of wire. Unlike most thieves, the wire I used was very thin and, with some help from my dad, very sturdy at the end. I had tried to unbend it once and gave up when I couldn't get it to move even with pliers.

The rest of the wire was malleable and I had to bend it carefully at several points to get it over to the latch on the widow frame. It took about five minutes and the latch fell open. I told myself I would have to practice on these types of windows in the future, five minutes was just too long to be sitting out in the open.

Hakuba lived alone. I still didn't understand why he hadn't moved in with his dad when he came to Japan. I knew little about his family besides the fact that his dad was high up in the police department and that his mother was British, or of some European descent.

It was almost sad that Hakuba had inherited his mother's looks since the regular populace didn't like outsiders and it was hard enough being a teenager when you're trying to help the police independently. That Hakuba had as much popularity as he did showed how much he had to strive to overcome his age limitations and the stereotype that most carried with them.

Stop. Taking time to understand him would not help. Even affiliating my own feelings with him was bad. It could get me caught or killed, maybe Hakuba killed, if I associated too closely with him.

I made my way into his house, feeling very unlike my usual self. I had a few hindrances of my own in several pockets if I had to get away but they reassured me little. I felt like a mouse not only going up to a cat but putting itself between the claws.

I found him in his room with the girl I had seen yesterday, that had been hiding in the closet, sitting on his bed while he was doing something on a computer he had perched on his desk. It was black and sleek, a newer model of course.

The room had a simple design of egg white walls and tanned short cut carpet. Thick off-white colored curtains hung down a huge window near the bed with a wooden dresser and a large bookshelf taking up the other side of the room.

I was unsure how to approach him. One of my dramatic entrances would have been ideal but I was in no shape to go about dancing on the ceiling just yet. I sighed and pushed the door open without knocking.

This act alone was enough to make them both jump. Just opening the door had made them react in such a defensive manner that it threw all my instincts up and I had to fight them to not react as well.

'_Why Hakuba-san, just who had you been expecting?_' was what I wanted to say. I scantly got out the word 'why' and part of his name when my throat closed up. I settled on smiling and cocking my head to the side to show that I was confused.

Hakuba relaxed first but the girl had drawn the covers up over herself and let out a frightened squeak. Still hidden under the covers she looked between the two of us and settled herself down, by no means in a relaxed kind of way. She just stopped moving and didn't take her eyes off me.

I palmed Hakuba's card and held it out to him. When he tried to take it, I yanked it back. I inclined my head to the girl and put the card just out of his reach. He glared at me a while before giving in.

"This is Hisa-chan." Hakuba nodded to the girl in the bed. "I also have Kei-chan here and her older brother Kane-kun from yesterday. They were the ones I took down the stairs. You took Kei-chan from me at the end. Remember them?"

I thought of the young girl with the cream eyes and the smile she gave me. The boy I didn't see much of. I nodded to him. It felt strange talking, or in my case nodding, to him like this. Apparently Hakuba hadn't gotten much the smoke. His voice still came out a little gruff, hiding his accent, but about the same as you would sound if you'd just woken up with a dry throat.

"Well, they're going to stay with me for a while. Can I have my card back now?" He demanded, hand held out like he had just given me valuable information that was worth more than the return of his possession. The card I gave him with a smile as I swiped a disc he had near his computer.

"Give it back!" He yelled and it surprised me so much I almost dropped it. Hakuba tried to hide his reaction behind argument. "I don't like you taking my things when I haven't given them to you." I dangled his pocket watch and wallet in front of him.

"When did you?" He checked his pockets and found them empty. They had been since I entered the room. He shook his head and stood up. "It's hard enough trying to get the upper hand with you when you can talk but if you're going to resort to stealing my things, I'd prefer you with a voice." He reached over and grabbed a glass of something brown that looked like watered-down mud and handed it to me, trying and failing to grab his stuff back when he did.

I held watch, wallet, disc and cup all balanced and out of his reach. I sniffed the cup and was rewarded with one of the worst smells I'd ever…well, smelt. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"It will make you coherent at least." I raised my eyes brows higher and the top hat hid them. "Well, there's nothing bad in there! I drank some this morning. Do you think I'd give you anything bad and play that underhandedly when it's obvious to anyone that I have bigger things going on right now?" He sighed and sat back down in his chair, looking a lot older then he should have.

A glance at his computer screen showed an almost complete game a solitaire. That didn't look like any of the 'bigger things going on' but then again, if it had been anything important he would have shut the screen off when I came in.

I returned his items reluctantly and balanced the cup on a finger, eyeing it suspiciously. I decided that he was right and I would just have to swallow it as quickly as I could, like bad medicine.

After swallowing I tried really hard not to spit it out. I tried _hard_. It would look so bad to see me as Kid spitting out the liquid all over his floor so I kept it in and tried to get it down. I gasped in a quick gulp of air and turned to him.

"Yes, it tastes pretty bad." He admitted with a devilish smile playing across his face. "But it works. It's a mixture of honey, milk, Cantharis, and a bit of antiseptic. Of course I had to get some if it through my doctor but I'm sure we would take the same dosage."

Honey and milk I was fine with. Antiseptic mixed in there sounded gross enough but I had no idea what that other thing he said was and I came to the conclusion that I didn't want to know. I swallowed once more and my taste buds said they'd had enough. I laid the glass on his table and shuddered, unable to stop myself.

"That is the most disgusting…" I had to clear my throat, but like he said, I was able to talk with just an average amount of pain and a very rough sounding voice, "anything that will ever have had the pleasure of being in my mouth."

"You should drink it again tonight and in the morning for the next few days." Hakuba grinned again but it was less spiteful than it had been.

"What's going on Hakuba-san? To have you forsaken me for these children is commendable but I would like to know why you where there." I sounded more demanding when I didn't have control of the pitch of my voice but I wanted it to come across that way to start with.

"And who says I need to tell you anything?" He got up and sat on the bed with Hisa who was still under the covers, watching me with uncensored dislike. "I'm the detective and you're the thief. You've done your part now let me do mine."

I had to think of an argument. "Well, whoever decided to set that building on fire _that _night, _that_ close to me, made it my business as well. I'm not going to drop this." I crossed my arms and let my smile fall.

"Well then," Hakuba thought about it for a while and looked at the girl, he let his smile fall as well as he thought of a more serious issue which I was determined to understand.

"Maybe I could use some help." He looked downcast and I could see he was angry at himself. "But I'm not about to go asking for it. I'm not a child, but I'm not a childish enough to know when I'm in a bad situation and refuse help." Eyes averted still, he drummed his fingers against his leg.

"Fine. That file you so careless picked up earlier should fill in the gaps if anyone wanted to know what I've been doing the past week. But, again, it's not like I'm giving the information away and I'm not asking for the help." He grabbed Hisa up his arms and only winced slightly.

"I'm going to get some tea and make some warm milk for her." He looked at me. "I hope that the disc is gone when I come back." Hakuba was worried. He was worried about the girl, the other two children he had mentioned, he was worried about himself…and against all odds he was worried about me. He was into something dangerous and he needed help but he didn't want to get me involved. Touching, if it didn't make me so angry at him; I could protect myself just fine.

He didn't need to worry about the disc being absent. It had left his desk long before I had set my glass back down. I was out of his house in less time than it took getting in, windows locked behind me.


	4. Insult to Injury

There's some important parts that I stress upon later but the disc didn't pose as much of mystery as I intended. I wanted more character development then mystery because the mystery gets stressed later on and I wanted to do some bonding with this chapter.

The bad guys will remain a mystery longer still... but there's more normality for now.

And yes, this will probably be the last time they go to school for a while naquam-tenshi

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**_Chapter 4: Insult to Injury_**

I sat at my desk after turning off my computer, drumming my fingers on the table. _What was that idiot doing? Why hadn't he gotten the cops involved in this and why had he accepted my help instead of theirs? _

The disc had indeed filled in the gaps. The three children that Hakuba was currently protecting were from wealthy business families who had decided that 'altering' their children when they were still in the fetus was the best way of making them perfect. I hadn't even known technology like that existed, but clearly the higher ups were willing to pay big bucks for it.

Now, someone was trying to get them back. The parents were afraid to go to the police because it would only put their children more out in the open, if not across national televisions everywhere. How they had found Hakuba would remain a mystery until I had a talk with him again.

The disc had little information about what had been done to the children. Whatever experiments had been run didn't seem relevant. The disc contained the children's names, ages, parents, and physical data. It also contained doctors, hospitals and defects that had been discovered in the children but nothing that warranted their deaths.

Kane apparently couldn't speak even though he was ten now. His sister Kei, has pointed ears and incredibly good hearing. I hadn't noticed this last night, _and I only concede my lack of observation to the many distractions around me_. Hisa, who seemed to hate me, claimed to see colors that nobody else could see around people. Auras were what they called it on the disc. I didn't know if I believed it yet.

Whoever was after the kids was not associated with the hospitals or the doctors that had done the tests. All of them had been questioned and hounded by the parents and a few other trusted private detectives whose names had been listed along with investigation reports. One of the parents had a close relationship with a police officer and their investigation on them turned up nothing as well.

More questions only came to me. _Why would a group of outsiders take interest in just these children?_ It seemed like the tests had been done on others so why only go after these? _And how did they even know about the testing?_ I hadn't known and, thanks to Jii-chan, I had a great information network. I'd have to tap into it a bit later.

And the most puzzling thing was why they had gone to Hakuba. The teenage detective had made quite a name for himself but not enough so to get wrapped up in this mess of unanswered questions and mysterious arsonists.

I hated questions. I was _not_ a detective. I was a thief. I was good at tricks and baffling achievements but not at this kind of thing. Why were these people trying to kill the kids? It wasn't just that they wanted them like the reports on the disc thought, they wanted them dead. At least now they did. Maybe they didn't before but it was clear that the fires had spread the most near Hisa's and Kane's/Kei's rooms. It had taken a while for Hakuba to reach the ambulance and it was probably because he'd gone looking for Hisa right after, unable to help her in the fire.

It was clear I would have to talk with him again because things just weren't adding up. The detective was clearly in over his head and was crazy if he thought that he could take on this case alone.

I twirled the disc between my fingers, gloves on of course. _I still didn't want to leave fingerprints_. If Hakuba didn't want to take the case alone he could have gone to Nakamori-san...wait. No he couldn't. The man had a good heart but he wasn't very competent at solving crimes. This was shown in the fact that his accomplishments chasing me were more dominant than his mediocre police work. We were very similar in that fashion, better at seeing tricks then blood trails.

I was sure Hakuba could have gone to someone, maybe even his father. _Why had he let me know so much about what he was doing... maybe he wanted my help...or maybe he needed it_. I sighed as I thought about the heavy mater. I couldn't let him go at this alone but I wasn't good at solving crimes like Kudo, heck, Hakuba most likely had a bigger streak of success then I had. Why go to me?

_Because I had better contacts that didn't need to go through the police for information and help._

The thought occurred to me as fast as I asked the question; like my brain was responding to my inquiries. Ok, so Hakuba may need me for a few under-the-table deals. That made sense.

I was through playing detective. It hadn't gotten me far whenever I tried and I put all the questions on standby to be resolved when I was able to put my theories to the test. I slipped the disc into my jean pockets and removed the gloves, pocketing them as well. It was late and I hadn't realized how long I'd been racking my brain over the situation until I looked at my clocks bright red numbers burning 3:15 into my skull.

I moaned aloud. I hadn't even thought about school. I'd already skipped Tuesday and Aoko was likely to hound me down again if I didn't go tomorrow… wait, today. I rubbed my eyes with the inside of my palms to try and fight back a headache. I still felt like crap on top of everything and now my throat was starting to itch more than it was hurting.

I laid down, spread out, and waited for sleep to come. Everything I had to do the next few days came to me; I had to keep Aoko and mom happy by going to school, I had to help Hakuba get out of whatever mess he'd gotten into, or help myself deeper into it, not only that but I needed to find out who was after the kids and a way to protect them. Stopping whoever was after them wouldn't be easy either and I still needed to repay Kudo. In response to all that was expected of me in so little time my body shut down, knowing that I would need as much sleep as I could get. My last thoughts were of how I was going to manage to get all my homework done juggling all of that.

My alarm clock was screaming at me but I ignored it as long as I could. I had made sure to keep it on my desk so that I would have to get up to shut it off. The anger that ensued from having to do that was enough to wake me up most days. Today was not one of them. I felt sleep continue to hang on me as I changed into my school uniform. When I went to brush my teeth, I saw how swollen my tonsils were and the dark shadows that were under my eyes. I would have to get a good night's sleep sometime this millennium, I told myself.

Swinging my school bag over my shoulders almost sent me sprawling backwards and I cursed to myself as I landed badly on my foot. Swaying but controlling my body enough not to not look drunk, I walked to school.

Aoko found me halfway there and started talking to me about how she was happy that I was actually going to be there today. I shooed her off with my hand, and riffled with her hair before I had to bring my hand up to stifle a yawn.

"Were you up late last night? You always seem really tired some mornings. You should get some more sleep." _That's because I'm off stealing something_, I thought. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Tricks take practice." OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. I got the words out but my throat burned. Whatever Hakuba had given me the other day seemed to have worn off.

"Kaito you sound awful!" She stopped and turned to me. I blinked and noticed her hand on my forehead. A frown crossed her face but she didn't push it.

"Staying up all night will do that to you." I mumbled, more softly this time. "I've gotten sick like this before."

"Just another reason you should get more sleep!" She hit me hard on the back and I would have yelled at her if I'd had the aptitude for it.

Hakuba had come to school which surprised me. I'd expected him to stay at home and watch the kids. He didn't seem like one who would take to children but Hisa seemed to like him far better then she liked me so he must have been doing something right. He handed me a coffee container.

"You should really drink that." He took he's seat just a few desks away from me.

"Hakuba-kun, are you sick too?" I heard Aoko ask. Hakuba's voice was much better compared mine and it sounded even clearer then it had yesterday afternoon, with just an undertone of soreness.

"No, I seem to have swallowed something wrong but it should clear up in a few days." He responded. I didn't give any sign away that I was aware he wasn't pushing the matter. _'Kuroba-kun, it's funny but I'm aware that Kid has a sore throat as well. Peculiar timing, isn't it?' _The accusations never came.

Though Aoko had been yelling at me about getting sleep she seemed determined to not let me have any. After figuring out that Hakuba had put the medicine in the container I drank it and tried to pass out during class. Aoko had hit my desk with her foot and jolted me awake three times before I started doing it back.

"You should sleep when school's over. This isn't kindergarten!" She whispered angrily to me when the teacher had her back turned.

"Well, I'm not going to learn anything with how tired I am. If I get sleep now maybe I'll be awake enough to catch the end of the lesson." I shot back. She gave me a dirty stare and proceeded to keep me awake for the rest of class. I had missed the previous day so none of it would have sunk in even if my brain had been in attendance. My subconscious was on Aoko's side though and had the mathematical formulas and equations figured out before long, even as my eyes tried to close every second.

Aoko couldn't keep me awake during lunch. I hadn't had time to make anything and sleeping in made me skip breakfast as well. My stomach couldn't bother me enough to stop the black from entering my world.

"Kuroba-kun…" My eyes peeked open and I noticed that class was over. Hakuba was standing over me and Aoko was looking mad from the classroom entrance. I put my head back down and tried to go back to sleep but he wouldn't let me.

"Kuroba-kun, if you're that exhausted you should rest at home, I can't imagine the desk is too terribly comfortable." He grabbed one of my elbows and tried to get me up. If I hadn't seen him squint his eyes and clench his teeth together in pain he never would have succeed. I looked down at his hands and noticed he'd put on tan leather gloves that didn't accentuate he's school uniform at all, though his hair color helped them blend a little better.

"Idiot" I pulled my arm gently away and smiled as I noticed it didn't hurt to talk anymore, though I winced too when I straightened out my right arm and pulled the burned skin. He held out a water bottle that was tinted blue with more the darker colored medicine in it.

"This is for tonight." I tried to grab it and he snatched it back. "But maybe I'm too much of an idiot to want to give this to you." My eyes flared open and I tried to grab it from him again but was eluded a second time.

"Fine." I picked up my bag and made my way out of the classroom. I was awake now; those few hours I'd gotten did the trick. _Maybe_ _Hakuba had played a part in it as well_ I admitted only to myself. I stopped at the door and turned back to him. I'd given him so much to use against me and drinking the medicine in class had been stupid, an acknowledgment that I knew what it was, but it wasn't like he could pin any of it on me.

"Are you coming Aoko?" She looked mad but I wasn't going to leave without her. "Hakuba-kun," I added as I turned back and Aoko strode over to me in a mixture of disgust and resignation, "I'll get it later."

That was really stupid. That one statement told more to him then it should have but I was starting to warm up to him. All of what I'd been doing lately was stupid; I should have been calling myself the idiot.

Aoko ran off in front of me.

"If you think I'm walking home with you you're wrong and go get notes from somebody else. If both of you think you can fall asleep in class without any consequences you've got another thing coming."

I turned to face Hakuba at the inclination and saw him look away. Only now that I was looking for it did I see the dark circles under his eyes as well.

"Well, I'm much easier to wake up then you are." He rubbed an eye and it was clear that whatever sleep he'd gotten hadn't helped much like mine had.

Aoko was long gone and I'd never be able to catch her. Going back to my house and getting my outfit seemed stupid and I'd been too tired that morning to think ahead. I could follow Hakuba right now back to his house with no one the wiser. _No one but him_ and that was something I was on unsure footing with. He knew it was me without a doubt and conspiring with him didn't necessary prove to anyone besides him of my guilt.

But I couldn't say that Hakuba was a hundred percent on his theory and I'd be giving him that little push over. I stood there for a time, debating the pros and cons of going back to my house and then heading over to his. I decided against following him and left.

We walked together down the street for a few blocks before we had to part ways. His usual was to leave school before me and Aoko had a chance to get our things together so it felt a bit awkward walking with him now.

Hakuba didn't share my unease. I saw him start nodding off a few times as we were going and a caught his sleeve before he managed to fall over a hydrant.

"Thanks Kuroba-kun" he murmured and rubbed his eyes, still in a daze.

"You seem to be the one who's tired. Maybe someone should help you with some young family members you may have at your house." I didn't manage to stop myself from voicing my opinion. I had a bad habit of that. "Maybe someone could keep them at their house for a while but I'm not saying it's asking for help."

Hakuba's eyes cleared as he recognized the game.

"Well, maybe I would want some help with something like that. Maybe I have two family members that wouldn't mind spending some time over at someone else house. But that may be too much to ask and I wouldn't be asking for it."

"Maybe someone might come over later today to help in return for some answers. After all, it's not helping, it's trading. And I wouldn't be the one doing it." This game of words wasn't an actual confession so I didn't treat it as such, neither did he.

"Well, maybe if someone wanted to help and were trying, they deserved answers. Maybe the person in need of help would want some answers to."

"Maybe."

I turned the corner to leave him and he tentatively waved over his shoulder when he faced away. I did a double take and froze up for a second before running back over to him.

"Hakuba duck!" I yelled as I pushed him face first into the sidewalk. I felt a sharp pain hit me just inside my right shoulder. I spun back around to see what I could. Hakuba got up slowly, incomprehension on his face.

"Kuroba-kun, just what did you do that for?" I was still turned away from him, looking for the origin of the sniper's scope. I winced and put a hand up to my shoulder. I felt something cold and slightly sticky. A large amount of blood was on my hand when I drew it away.

Hakuba grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him, thankfully he had taken my unburned one that now had blood on the palm. Some part of me still couldn't understand what had happened. I wasn't feeling any pain.

The world went into standstill mode as Hakuba process what I couldn't. When his eyes met mine he snapped his fingers in front of me.

"Your fine, Kuroba-kun." I felt my body start to shake as Hakuba kept his hold on me. I started panting and he got behind me a rubbed my back. "You're going to be fine. Breathe calmly and stay with me."

I closed my eyes, willing myself to calm down. Breathe. Breathe. Ok, I'm breathing. Good. As my thoughts drifted my breathing began to speed up again and the pain hit me like an anvil. I collapsed against the wall and slid down with Hakuba somehow still holding onto my good shoulder.

"Kuroba-kun, I'm going to call an ambulance. The cops may have to get involved if I can't stop it. Is that all right?" That helped me get back to myself. I shook my head.

"No…"

"They won't know anything…" I interrupted him.

"No, not that…" I had to breathe "They're going to look for suspects and probable cause… Can't risk they might stumble across something."

"Well than what can I do?" He punched the wall which must have hurt like hell.

I straightened myself out and saw how much blood I was leaving behind. My shirt was absolutely covered in it and it felt like cold water running down my chest.

"The bullet went all the way through…" I reached out to grab his hand but thought better of it and pushed myself to my feet with the wall. The pain stopped me from finishing my sentence until I quit panting. "If you…If it's washed out with some disinfectant and I get some antibiotics it should heal on its own."

I bent to get my bag off the ground where it had fallen and took a spare shirt I kept in case any of my pranks backfired. I grabbed scissors out one of one of the pockets and cut the shirt in a zigzag pattern. I removed my school shirt, this was easy with the buttons, and threw one end of the shredded shirt over my shoulder. Hakuba grabbed it and wrapped it around the ugly bullet wound.

"You don't have to do anything." He looked at me when he was done. "Go the hospital and get yourself some help; I can handle myself."

"Don't worry so much I'm not…"

"Hurt that bad? Going to get yourself killed? Those are lies Kuroba-kun and you shouldn't do that, not now and not with me." The hard look in his eyes stopped me from fighting back. Neither of us was going to give any ground and he looked away first. "And this is all my fault."

"Now just a minute," I rounded on him. "You have done nothing wrong and I haven't either. What happened just now was their fault. Whoever the hell tried to shoot you just now was wrong. You weren't."

"But you shouldn't have to do this. I'm the one who got you involved so the fault lies with me and the temporary weakness that overcame me. The fire had scared me but it wasn't bad enough to endanger you."

"But you shouldn't have to do this either!" How could he fight an argument like this without seeing it was two-sided? "Were the same age, it's not like anything I'm doing is any less dangerous then what you're doing!"

"But I'm a detective! Danger comes with the job."

"And I'm a…!" I stuttered to a stop, biting back my words. I was not going to say it out loud but it didn't make my argument any less true. "You know damn well what I do. Danger follows me around more than it does you and being around it, more or less, doesn't make you immune to it!"

It was silent for a while. Hakuba took in the full meaning of my words, the ones I had and the ones I had almost said. I looked away first this time. I was far from giving up but my body wasn't on my side and I slouched against the wall. It hurt. I'd never been as seriously injured as I was now and I usually had an uncanny subconscious reaction to avoiding bullets. It seemed as if that didn't translate to me helping someone else avoid one.

I slipped my shirt back on now that I had the time. I couldn't focus on multitasking at the moment even if I tired. It was difficult to avoid hurting my still freshly burnt and non-bulletproof right side.

"I'm sorry…"

"Stop apologizing to me!" I shouted at him, getting ready to start the argument back up.

"I'm not doing that again anymore or I think you'll fall over." I hadn't been aware to how much I'd been swaying until he pointed it out. "I'm apologizing for fighting with you right now. I did say I wouldn't play underhandedly." He smirked and I returned it.

"I'll also pretend," he continued. "That I never heard anyone, especially not the person with me now, tells me anything to revealing. I'll also pretend I don't hear anything in the near future, but I'm not helping. And I'm serious…." He held my good arm in his grasp as we started walking towards wherever he decided to take us. "…Pretending I'm not going to realize anything is not what I call help so don't feel like I'm doing you any favors."

"Yeah, Yeah." I waved him off as if it were nothing. It certainly didn't feel like nothing but I'd have to process it later when I had more time and awareness.

I started passing out on him for the second time in such a few days. He didn't push anything even though he could have gotten whatever he wanted out of me with the state of mind I was in. We barely made it my house before my legs gave out

"Why'd you take us here? You do know my mom's home don't you?" I asked him, kneeling on the ground as my vision swayed.

"Well, I couldn't get to my house with you like this on the train or cab. I didn't know where else to go."

"Keep going." I tried to get to my feet but I couldn't do it. "There's a friend's house down further that we can go to, but…" My brain was still trying to work and I saw the dangers of leading him to Jii's place.

"But it wouldn't be a good thing for me to be there as well." He concluded.

"Kind of, but it's not dangerous to you it's…"

"Dangerous to you and whoever is there." That's a detective for you. Hakuba being quick on the uptake made it easier then explaining. When I nodded he thought to himself.

"Well, maybe I won't see anything or know where I am for a while, that is, if anyone were to ask me." I watched his eyes while he said this. It hurt, emotionally and physically. Hakuba had put enough of himself aside to accept my help but now he was going to have proof of the identity of my assistant, who I'd only managed to keep from him by focusing his attention on me, and he wouldn't be able to pursue his leads.

Hakuba had me hands down as Kid and he'd have Jii the minute we walked in the door but he was willing to ignore all of it so both of us could get the help we needed. I wondered how much Hakuba was doing out of guilt and how much was necessity.

My head fell down and I could feel the tingle of sleep in my hands and feet. I wasn't going to face mom like this and I had no choice but to sacrifice more of the detective's integrity.

"It two streets down and then you turn right. Keep going until you get to the light then it will be on the left side of the street, halfway down. It's a pool hall. Go ask for Jii-chan to help…" I was cut off as Hakuba bent in front of me and lifted me awkwardly onto his back.

"I'm taking you with me so whatever you want me to tell him you can ask yourself." Since I wasn't able to use my arms he had to put all my weight that his back wasn't carrying, on his hands.

"But you're hurt."

"Kuroba-kun, you should really worry about yourself more often or I'll think you have a sadistic streak." _Hmpht_. My shoulder hurt with every step he took but I couldn't stay awake. Thank Ekoda High for having black blazers. They successfully hid the blood on both of us so we didn't look like a crazy-ax-murderer going down the street. I couldn't say we didn't look strange. My indignation at being carried like a child only lasted until we made it down to the corner and my consciousness left me.

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Hakuba's gloves are leather only because cotton material will bother the burns and I wasn't sure polyester would have been much better.

Oh, and yes... I left I'm not using honorfics when Kaito is thinking about them because I thought it was natural for him to think Hakuba's name without it and it just started to feel weird with Jii's so I'm still going to leave if off.

Please review. It's so hard for me to write and reviews make it so much better even if they're short.

THANKS FOR READING AND/OR REVIEWING!


	5. Deceptive Appearances

I've got chapter 5 up! Yay! I also noticed that for some reason my Italics weren't working in some of the earlier chapters so I'm gonna go back and fix that sometime soon... hopefully. I have to look them individually up like I did in this chapter and fix them because, for some reason, either when I upload or spell-check it takes it away. (Mean computer!)

Anyway I've introduced a new character in this story. I PICKED A COMPLETELY RANDOM NAME FOR HIM SO I'M SORRY IF THERE'S ANYONE OUT THERE WITH IT AS WELL, I DIDN'T STEEL IT OR ANYTHING They most likely won't make it passed this chapter. but who knows (dramatic music playing in the background)

Thank you for everyone who's reviewing, it really does help... I've left a few questions still hanging from earlier chapters (SUCH AS: Why is Hakuba involved? Who's after them?) and a few others. THEY WILL BE ANSWERED! (Not now or later, later later, further into the future later)

I also have COMPLETELY NO IDEA what the Pool Hall of Jii's looks like, I haven't seen it in ages (read the book a while ago) so I may have changed it A LOT (maybe not, like I said I can't remember what it looks like)

Thanks and Enjoy!

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**_Chapter 5: Deceptive Appearances_**

I woke up to a constant stinging pain and a headache that would kill the average man. I opened my eyes to a large room in the back of the pool hall with a dark brown molding surrounding the room's lighter, coffee colored wallpaper.

A child with brown hair, just a shade lighter than Aoko's, popped her head up from the end of the futon I was laid out on. It folded around her face in wild look, sticking up as crazy as mine but had grown in timidly. She smiled at me and poked my leg.

"Hey there Kei-chan" I greeted her, my voice still rough but feeling much better. It was hard to forget that smile, though her other features had been hazy. Her eye widened and she giggled, falling over and crawling as she retreated. I snorted at her and raised my eyebrows which only made her start giggling more as she sprawled out sideways on the floor.

She tried to shush me, resulting in a lot of spit, by putting her finger up to her lips and making a 'tssush' noise. "Sleeping" she said in the cute high voice that children had, and pointed off to her side. Hakuba was sitting in a large chair with padding and armrests that didn't look like it belonged in the room. Jii must have had it set aside for himself. Somehow Hakuba found it possible to sleep in said chair with his head fallen to the side and his hair sticking up where he'd moved against it. He'd been holding something before he'd fallen asleep because his arm lay slack, palm open; It was that or the guy meditated in his sleep which I wouldn't have put past him.

I tried to get up but it hurt and I fell back down. The bullet had missed my collar bone by an inch and sunk into the muscle and tissue needed for normal motion. I use my good side to hoist myself up which hurt just as bad, but not enough to be unbearable. I would have cursed if the girl hadn't been there.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked her. She got up and grabbed onto my pant leg as I got off the bed, pulling me into another room. I looked down and noticed that I was wearing my second and last shirt from my bag, this on dark green with a navy design.

Jii was out in the pool hall monitoring the place with his smile absent. After spending so much time with me and my dad, I was surprised we hadn't rubbed off on him a bit more. After spotting me come out the door he perked up a bit.

"Young master I'm so glad to see you're awake. Are you feeling well?"

"I feel like someone just ran me over with a semi and I told you to stop calling me that." I chided him.

Jii shook his head and reached out for my left hand. "I was so worried when the detective brought you in looking like you were dead and you'd lost so much blood. The young man left right after that and brought these children here, saying that you knew what was going on. He wouldn't tell me anything and he fell asleep about an hour ago, watching all of you like he was afraid that something was going to harm you. Young Master, what is going on?" He pleaded to me.

"I'm sorry Jii-chan but I can't tell you, at least not now." I smiled and had him release my hand. "I can take care of it. It's me after all, don't worry so much."

"It's because it's you that I am worried." He shook his head. "You are too kind for your own good and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I only have as much kindness as I can afford, so it's a good thing I've got sticky fingers because I might have to borrow from the kindness of others for a while." I left the implication hanging.

He sighed. "I'll watch over the children if that's what you're asking."

"I must talk in riddles too much." I rolled my eyes. "I would appreciate you looking after them but I need to find someone who I could get some information from."

"What kind of information were you looking for?" He picked up a small leather-bound book from under the counter.

I leaned against the door frame, looking at home. "I need someone who'd know about what hidden groups are in the area, just the violent ones." He nodded, already guessing as much. Flipping through the book he came to a name I didn't recognize.

"Here's someone who might know who you're looking for" He wrote the name and contact information down on a sheet of paper and handed it to me. I slipped it in the pocket of my school uniform pants that still had dried blood on the one side that hadn't shown up on the material.

"Thanks Jii-chan, I'll be careful." Kane came over to Jii from somewhere in the pool hall. The boy was unlike his sister in every way possible; Black hair fell into his eyes, thick and layered, buzzed close to his head in the back. Dark eyes matched the hair and he seemed drawn in and nervous.

"Hi Kane-kun," I bid him as he passed me. Kane looked me over appraisingly and waved before going to Jii. He got a glass and filled it up with some soda from the tap. I went to leave and turned back to him.

"Kane-kun?" He stopped drinking the soda and hesitated before coming over to me. "I'm going to need you to watch over everyone with Jii-chan while I'm gone and if any bad people come I need you to go to this address and follow these instructions." I scrawled out the information on a piece of paper, folded it, and handed it to him. "Can you do that?"

He didn't open the paper but watched me. After pocketing it as well, he held out his hand for me to shake. I looked at him, wondering what he wanted. He touched his hand to his heart and used both in a circular motion before holding out the same hand again.

I understood. "I promise to take care of you all as best…I promise to take care of you better than I can. Don't worry; just be careful until I can get back-"

"-We get back."

I was getting annoyed at hearing that voice as of late.

"Hakuba-kun you don't even know where I'm going so how are you so sure you're going with? I've let you deep enough into my life."

"I don't feel like having this argument again. You were the one who convinced me that we both had an equal say in what happens."

"Yes, and this is my area of expertise so you'd be no help."

"I've let you in on all of the detective work. You were the one who couldn't just sit back and help without knowing everything. If you're getting information I'd know best what to look for." His smirk made me so mad.

"I'm not going to get any information from my contact if I'm with a detective."

"I've thought of that and Hisa-chan gave me an idea." He turned to Jii. "There's a sink in the back right?"

"Yes, it's in the small room on the left, next to the closet."

Hakuba disappeared and I waited, not out of courtesy because I would have left him behind in a heartbeat, but because he had intrigued me and I wanted to know what he was up to.

I didn't like what I saw. Hakuba came out with hair almost the same color as my own, parted on the side with longer strands touching the corner of his left eyes. He gelled it so it was wired and unkept, like any of the many juvenile delinquents and outcasts that were sprouting up these days. A light gray hooded jacket was placed loosely over a dark brown t-shirt and dark jeans.

"So…" He blushed and couldn't look at me. "How is this? No one would know it was me and I already have assassins after my life so I had to alter my appearance anyway if I wanted to go outside again."

"This is so stupid" I told him.

"I already feel like an idiot thank you Kuroba-kun, I don't need you to tell me that."

"No, I mean that you have to… nothing. I guess I have nothing to hold against you now so you might as well come." I'd be worrying about him if he didn't tag along anyway.

Clearly uncomfortable in his new look, he made his way to my side and I shook him off.

"I told you I'm going." His eyes were serious and I laughed at him. I don't really know why I did it but seeing him try and fight me when I wasn't planning on leaving him behind was funny at that moment.

"It's not you, Hakuba-kun-"

"Then what is it?" he demanded.

"No, no, no, let me finish. It's me." His puzzled look was enough to make me start laughing again.

"Do you think that you're the only one I've been…" I dropped my smile, realizing I still hadn't told him directly who I 'was'. "Let's just say if I showed up at his place looking like this he'd probably kick me out, or shoot me, I don't know him so I'm not sure which."

"This contact is going to try and kill us?" Hakuba wasn't so quick on the uptake this time.

"No, he'd most likely shoot at two teenage boys who were trying to enter his property for no reason. If it was someone he knew, he might be more… accommodating." He understood now.

"So what am I supposed to do? You're going to want me skirt around you like an idiot and end up making a fool of us both aren't you?" He sighed and leaned against the wall.

I thought about it. There was no doubt in his statement and I knew I wouldn't be fooling a baby at this point. I went through all my interactions with him for the past few days and replayed the ones containing the most affirmations of myself. If Hakuba told anyone and admitted to the sequence of events, it wouldn't prove anything. Seeing me change clothes in front of him would.

"I'm sorry Hakuba-kun. I guess we're going to be looking like idiots."

He looked up and would have rolled his eyes if it wasn't so juvenile. "So what do you want me to do?"

I reached for the paper in my pocket and read it over several times so I knew I had the information down. I raised an eyebrow when I read and reread the ending but didn't say anything. _Why had Jii put that in there?_ Oh well. I handed the paper to Hakuba.

"Go to the address on your own. I'm sure someone will be there shortly after you." The word game didn't feel like a safety net anymore, it just made me feel foolish.

"Right." Hakuba didn't seem to mind any of this as he grabbed the paper. I was more than a little surprised that he was willing to act like an idiot along with me.

I looked Hakuba over more thoroughly when his back was turned. He didn't look like himself which was a good thing but there was just something that I didn't like about it. Hakuba was too dark. His golden hair was lurid and dull now in that mono-color you get with hair dye and his thrown together clothing was so different from his overpriced fashioned outfits that it would have been impossible to picture him in it if he wasn't standing right in front of me.

I shook my head and went back into the pool hall to look for my duffel bag.

Getting across rooftops wasn't hard for me. I practiced so often that most of the difficult maneuvers came to me easily. It might have been hard in the beginning when I was first trying but that was long ago and my body has since adjusted.

Heights had never bothered me either. I never knew why but I had taken to the glider the minute I had seen it and figured out how to work it. I never had any doubts about my abilities and that gave me confidence that I shouldn't have had, and I would have corrected my indifference to danger and falling if my instincts weren't so prepared to handle any consequences.

So I followed Hakuba's path with a few differences. I wasn't in my costume but I had put on a black shirt and pants so that I wouldn't be that noticeable. The roof tops were safer because I was able to look around for any unwanted visitors.

My right side was next to useless and hindered me greatly. I made little distance but I wanted to make sure that we weren't followed.

Hakuba hadn't mentioned it when we were at Jii's but if the shooter had been watching him and the children, they would have followed us both from school and to the pool hall.

I didn't see anyone on my way. I got lost…no, let's say I went out of my way to check around some more, before I succeed in making it to the address.

The building was dark and surrounded by a rusted metal fence. The gate was locked with a thick chain that bolt cutters would have run away from. Hakuba was leaning against it with his head down but I saw him looking around from under his hair. His hands were in his pockets and tense under the long sleeves of his jacket.

Before getting off of the building adjacent to the address, I changed into my outfit. I say adjacent but there was a large gap in-between the buildings on both sides where a dead lawn that had not been cared for in some time separated it inside the fence at a generous distance.

I went slowly down the fire escape, making sure not to be seen through any of the windows. It took a few minutes before I made my way down and I saw Hakuba starting to get restless. A quick check with my head told me that he'd been standing there a little more than fifteen minutes, waiting for me.

I'd have to get better soon or get lots of pain killers because I couldn't afford to be slow in my life.

"Hakuba-san" I greeted him warmly. "Sorry to keep you waiting, it seems we weren't followed" I paused before I continued "that I know of at least."

He nodded to me and visibly relaxed something he had never done when I was Kid. He turned his head to the fence. "So how do we get in?"

I looked up at it. The fence wasn't that high and chain link was easy to climb. If it weren't for my arm I would have suggested jumping it. "I'm not sure."

I took in the rest of the yard. There was a good fifteen foot gap surrounding everything from the house, including the plant life. The building itself was three stories and rectangle-shaped with obvious vines growing along the side. The only thing that indicated that it was not your normal run-of-the-mill abandoned building was that there wasn't a single broken window. In fact, the windows were perfectly clean and easy to see through if the building had any lights on. The vines were not sturdy enough to climb and the roof was flat, making it hard to enter through if there wasn't a balcony entrance. I liked this house.

Hakuba must have caught me smiling. "I take that to mean it's either really easy to get in or really hard. I hope it's the former for our sake" he shrugged he shoulders "but with the kind of luck I've been attracting it most likely the latter."

"Yep"

"I thought so." Hakuba grabbed onto the fence "Then I'll just have to go in alon…" I pulled him back down and he lost his balance and fell on his butt, skinning his elbow.

"Why did you do that?!" He asked angrily. "If you can do things on your own I think I could safely walk up the door by myself."

"It's not that, Hakuba-san." I pointed to the scarce bushes, low to the ground and feral, surrounding the property. "You'll trip the wires and I don't know what's hidden in the bushes but I don't think it's friendly."

I smiled and tapped him gently on the back at his surprised expression. "You're still an amateur and I'm looking out for you so don't worry. If you were able to see the thin strands I'd be afraid you'd see through me one of these days."

"As if I haven't already."

"Ouch, you wound me." I laughed at him and crouched down on the tips on my feet. I procured a few instruments out of my pockets and set to work dismantling the hinges of the fence.

"It's not easy to do this kind of thing" I muttered loudly at Hakuba "especially when someone won't stop pacing around me."

Hakuba stopped trying to wear out the ground around where I was still kneeling. "I thought this kind of thing would be simplicity in itself for you." He asked as if he was questioning it.

"Tch, picking a lock is easy, opening a window is easy, damn… even climbing a wall is easy. This is hard. Try bending steel with your bare hands and a few tools when your dominate arm is useless."

"Sorry." He stooped over me and saw that I'd gotten it nearly off. "You still did it though, didn't you?" There was a grating sound as the gate slid inward.

"Of course I did." I smirked at him.

"You're such an extrovert."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I let the gate fall softly to the ground on our side of the fence, hurting my left fingers from bearing all the weight.

"I intended it as such" Hakuba grabbed the other end before it could slam into the pavement "thought it poses problems every now and then."

I shrugged my shoulders and winced.

"You're quite the showman yourself, Hakuba-san. I have fond memories of you when we first met."

"Yes, but I left my costume in the past. You still gallivant around in yours."

I put my hands up in surrender. "You win, Hakuba-san. Now let's go see what we can find out." I grabbed his arm again as he tried to pass. He was always trying to get ahead of me even when we weren't on opposing sides. "Don't go against me in there and don't do anything unless I tell you."

"Yes, mother. I promise to be a good boy now can we go?" Hakuba using humor... ok, it time to go.

"Nope!" I reached him just before he tripped a wire that was attached to the inside of where that gate had stood. "Follow my steps and if you're unsure ask me where the wires are."

He nodded and we made our way across. Hakuba only had to stop one time when the wires were close together and he couldn't tell how far apart they were. We made it to the door in two minutes.

I knocked loudly "Hello is anyone home?"

"Who you looking for?" came a harsh voice from next to my ear. I drew back quickly to find a small speaker that camouflaged well with the wood.

"Yanami Masato" I stated clearly.

"And who's lookin for him?" the speaker growled.

"The Kaitou Kid and my companion."

There were a few seconds of silence while the voice behind the speaker moved around; most likely having some equipment that he was checking to make sure it was true.

"So you say" there was a screeching as a chair was moved "And how do I fix my problem?"

I raised my eyebrow. Fix his problem?

"Um… I'm not sure-"

Hakuba tugged me on the sleeve and I moved back.

"With this exercise video you can thin your thighs in just two weeks." He spoke to the door.

I smacked myself lightly on the head. Of course there was a password and Jii had even put it on the card. I was glad Hakuba had caught on but I still felt stupid. _What kind of secret code was that anyway?_

"Fine." We waited as multiple locks and other catches were undone.

"Thank you." I whispered to him.

He smiled, way to full of himself. "Of course."

The man who stood in the doorway was in his early forties and lived it well. His skin was dark and there were splotches on his face that looked like they may have been acid burns. His hair was shoulder-length and black with a trimmed mustache and beard. Deep set eyes of hazel stared back into my blue ones.

"So you the Kaitou Kid? You sure got young." He looked shiftily around "Come in but I got some questions for ya before you go start askin' me for help."

We both nodded and made out way inside and were met with the smell of pine. The interior of the building was made entirely of wood. Candles lit most of the rooms in a warm, calming glow and the only that that bothered me was that the place was almost too clean. We were lead to another room with a soft couch and matching wooden table. The sofa sank beneath us as we sat down and I was tempted for forget everything and just lay there.

It wasn't until this point that I noticed how tired I was. I didn't have a good night sleep after the fire, and then I spent all the next night looking at the disc and had only gotten a few hours. Passing out from shock and blood loss hadn't helped and the pillows encompassed my body comfortably.

I snapped myself out of it and faced Masato.

"So you claim to be the Kid but I met him and you aren't him. Explain."

"I'm afraid that the previous Kid can't pursue he's ventures any longer." I calmly answered.

"He dead?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I don't feel like answering that." I put my elbows on my knees and held my head up with my hands, fingers interlocked. "Anything else?"

"Toichi was Kid. I heard he had a son. That you?"

I was taken aback and had to try really hard not to react. I was tempted to avert my eyes but I kept facing the man. Until I knew I could trust him, I wasn't giving away any information. "Who knows?" I answered with just a little play in the words; if I'd answered seriously it would give me away just as quickly as reacting would.

His eyes drifted to Hakuba and I felt the tension rising. If this man knew who I was, he could possibly use it against me. "And you boy? Who are you?"

Hakuba didn't even pause, he put his hand out. "Kuroba Kaito, I think you were just talking about my father."

This time I couldn't help reacting. I raised my eyebrows and my eyes widened. What the hell did the detective think he was doing?

Masato looked surprised as well so he didn't notice me. "Really? You're the magician's son?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid he didn't get to teach me much magic before he died." Hakuba put slight surprise into his own features "I didn't know he was the Kaitou Kid."

"Yeah well…" Masato kept looking at Hakuba for a while before turning back to me. "What are you two doing together an what you want from me?" That helped me out of my stupor.

"I'm interested in groups in the area that might be acting on confidential information dealing with children. These groups I'm interested in will be violent and skilled." The older man took some time to consider the information.

"I owe the Kid so I might as well give ya the info" He scratched his dark hair "but you shouldn't go lookin for this kinda trouble. There are several in the area from over a year ago ta resent, want 'em all?" The man didn't have an accent but he didn't pronounce his words completely. I nodded.

"Fine. Ya got some pussy gang coming through here few months back. They call 'emselves the Black Jacks. They got pretty guns and some top guys but most of 'em are nubies. They deal with inside info all the time but lots'a their guys get caught. Sound right?" I thought about it for a second and shook my head.

"Maybe. I'm aware that one of the guys is a good sniper, maybe a one-thousand yard plus shooter." He whistled.

"Not 'em. They ain't that good yet. Ok, ya also got the group, smaller than usual, maybe five or six members, and they do all inside info. There's not a bunch'a info on them but rumors say all the guys are good marksmen. Wouldn't put it passed 'em" I nodded in agreement.

"Not much go in the way children but they got the market on shady deals an they don't use any name or mark like most gangs. I think they're pros." He looked up to think.

"We don't got much cause most of 'em ain't had much success here for a few years. Had some good law enforcement to thank for that." He smiled. "Bless them or we'd be o'run with bunch of half-ass crocks. Not like you 'n me. We know what we want and we don't go hurtin' no innocents." His smile was real and I found myself liking the man more then I had when we'd first arrived.

"There's some badies out there that come out the door recently, but it looks like they been 'round other places. They ain't got a name neither. Lots of them look like some Mafia guys outta the movies. They got shiny guns too an I don't got much info on them neither. All I know is they always wear black and go fixin' lots of under the radar stuff." I nodded, clarification hitting me hard.

"Yanami-san, you wouldn't happen to know any group with a hit-man named Snake would you?" Hakuba turned to me and Masato's eyes watched me intently.

"Snake? Can't say I haven't heard'a 'im. Best'a my knowledge, 'e likes doing killings subtle but he's none too good at the subtle part. Don't know what group 'e is with. Sorry." I waved him off.

"It's fine. I just thought I might inquire on the matter."

"Well, sides the two unnamed groups, I only know one other. They 'ave insides with a bunch 'o large companies an they do mostly insider stuff. I ain't sure if they got any hitters but you may wanna check. They call 'emselve the Baku."

"Hah, dream eaters."

"Yeah."

"Thank you Yanami-san, you've been very helpful." I got up and held out my hand with a kind smile. Masato was a nice guy if you looked passed the faulty way of speaking and gruff demeanor. He shook my hand and looked me in the eye. "Ya gotta be careful. I'd feel bad if ya went and got yourself killed cause I gave ya that info."

"I'll use the utmost caution." I assured him.

"And Kuroba-kun," I almost turned to face his again. Hakuba looked at him and offered his hand "your dad was a great guy and this boy ain't bad neither. Ya got some good friends."

"I know I do." Hakuba smiled at him more warmly then I had.

"Whatever ya got yourselves mix up in, I wish ya the best." The man told us as we reached the door. I saw lots of bronze set in the frame where large bolts had been set up. "Thank you for your kindness Yanami-san. I hope to repay you in the future."

He waved us out the door, shaking his head. "Get outa here you brats."

After we'd left the house I turned the opposite direction of Jii's.

"Where are you going?" Hakuba asked, before starting after me. I held a hand up.

"I'll be back in a second to chew you out. I'm not going down the streets like this." I waved a hand down my clothing.

"Of course, I'm sorry. I'll see… someone soon then?"

"Yes."

Hakuba started walking away and I ducked into the alley where I had left my bag. A minute and I was back in my dark clothing and taking a few shortcuts to catch up to Hakuba.

He was just coming around the corner when I jumped off of tree stump on the other side of a fence and almost collided with him.

"You have some endurance, Kuroba-kun. Try not to waste it all before we get back." He commented as he caught me before I tripped over him. The gloves pulled at his burns and he hissed under his breath.

"Hey it's me, since when have I ever run out of energy?"

"Point taken. Now I believe you were going to chew me out."

"Yes! Why did you do that back there? Why did you say you were me?"

Hakuba raised his eyebrows. "You didn't want me too? I mean, I couldn't very well say I was me. You did make it a point of mentioning that being a detective in that house would have been dangerous. I also had the distinct impression that you didn't want that man to know who you were. Such as it was, I figured taking on your name had the best possible outcomes."

Of course it did. Hakuba wasn't an idiot, he'd thought about it while I was busy keeping own mind full of absolutely no helpful prospects.

"Do you think it's one of those groups?"

"No. I think the possibility is fifty-fifty between two of them." I glanced over at him.

"Which ones?"

"If it was the first unnamed group you would have been killed Kuroba-kun. Professionals are one of two kinds. You have the guys out there you keep at it until your dead or the ones that fail the first time and don't try again, those are your professionals and they don't leave more evidence than necessary. We're obviously dealing with the latter. That being said, a small group would want to cover their tracks and would have killed you first because they don't have anyone big to hide behind." Hakuba made sure I understood before continuing.

"Now we know it's someone with connections, which means it's either the Baku, who have dealings with the large corporations, or the unnamed group in black. With no information on either of them, I can't narrow it down any further. We also have to weigh in the possibility that some other group has slipped under Yanami-san information net."

"So the rest is leg work." I stretched out my good arm. "That sounds more up my alley. I find the information we're missing, with you" I pointed out to him before he could interrupt "and you fill in the blanks."

We turned the corner and whatever Hakuba was going to say was cut off.

I looked forward and my heart sank.

Jii's place was on fire.

* * *

...

...

YOU STILL DON't KNOW WHO'S AFTER THEM! WAH HAH HAH! (I'm actually still debating it, I'm going though the process _with _them, whatever will be will be :) )

AND THERE'S MORE FIRE! I'm not a pyro or anything, I just seems the best way to get ride of someone without leaving clues


	6. Reprieve for the Restless

**_Thanks KSA Key-chan for helping me find the story I was looking for!_**

I have lost my spell checker for this chapter (proof-reader, whatever) so if there are any bad mistakes please tell me  
I did want it to put it up on time, I try and finshed it every four days or so and I think she's on vacation for the week, so I'm putting it up with just my own cheacking.

* * *

_**Chapter 6: Reprieve for the Restless**_

When I say it was on fire, it _was_ on fire. Small embers were all that was burning now and the windows and door were blown out. This wasn't the result of a fire, this was a bomb.

Hakuba ran in the building and I followed.

Burnt wood and plaster crumbled under our feet as we made our way inside. Upon first glance the pool hall was deserted. The tables had been blown apart and burnt beyond repair. My traitorous thoughts told me that if someone had been in this room, they wouldn't be alive to tell about it. I cursed myself and followed Hakuba to the back room. The smoke hadn't had time to clear and I tasted the chemicals in my mouth.

"Why didn't we take them with us?" I heard Hakuba say between clenched teeth. "I knew I shouldn't have…." he stopped his ranting, most likely thinking of all the things he should and shouldn't have done. I was too busy looking around.

My brain must have been working better than his because it was cataloging vital information. There really hadn't been anyone in the pool room. There were no bodies and that meant there must have been a warning. Jii wouldn't have ignored something like that.

When we got in to the back room I was sure of it.

The pool cue that I had gotten back for Jii was no longer on the wall, meaning that man had time to grab it on his way out.

"Hakuba-kun, it's ok." I tried to catch up to him. "They made it out before the explosion."

Hakuba turned to me from another burnt room "How are you so sure?"

"Look around you, detective. No one was here. No one got hurt." I saw his eyes dart around the room as comprehension slowly dawned on him.

"Where are they then?" He looked at me as if I had all the answers.

My heart was finally starting to calm down and I could think clearly. "Kane-kun!" I hit myself in the forehead with my palm, leaving dirt on it. I tried to rub it off as Hakuba made to back to me. "I left him a place to go before heading out."

Hakuba nodded. "So where are they?"

I smile. "They're at my house."

…

It didn't take us long to get to my house from Jii's. We made it there just as the sun was setting and my mom got home.

"Kaito? She asked, confused as we both reached the door at the same time. "What are you doing outside?"

I paused and looked over at Hakuba. My fingers tapped my legs as I thought of how to answer her. I hated lying to my mom and if I could help it I just avoided the subject. "I've got a bit of a situation on my hands." I admitted.

She looked me over again to make sure she couldn't see any new wounds. I was happy I'd gotten shot on my chest where it was going to be hidden no matter what I wore. "Did you change your bandages today?" She asked.

I shook my head. "I've had a lot on my mind." I pointed over my shoulder at Hakuba "Can he stay the night?"

She looked Hakuba over this time, taking in his baggy clothes that were now covered in a fine layer of soot. His hair hadn't stayed in place for long and fell almost completely in his eyes. Mom went up to him and held out her hand. Hakuba bent down and slightly bowed to her. "Hello, Kuroba-san. It's nice to meet you. I'm Hakuba Saguru."

Tch, Chivalry.

Mom looked quickly between the two of us after she heard his name. "Kaito?" Her eyes looked worried but she didn't let go of Hakuba's hand.

"It's fine mom." I reassured her, "He's cool with everything." I added, not admitting anything mind you, just informing my mother that Hakuba wasn't going to two-time me in the middle of the night. _Gross, I made us sound like a couple. _

"Hello, Hakuba-kun. You are welcome in my house. I hope nothing too dangerous is going on." She turned back to him after opening the door. "I'm sorry, but why are you wearing leather gloves with that outfit? It really doesn't match."

"I've been told I've no sense of fashion by your son as well, today. I hurt my hands and I need the gloves for protection." He explained as we entered the house. Mom shoved us in the kitchen.

"Kaito, I'll be right back so don't go anywhere for a second." She went up the stairs into the bathroom. I grabbed a chair and sat down.

"So where exactly are the kids?" Hakuba asked, not sitting. I pulled out the chair next to me.

"Safe. We'll go see them in a minute unless you want to get my mom angry." He looked around the kitchen before sitting down.

"Does she know, then?" I heard him whisper to me. I looked down.

"I guess she does. We don't really discuss the matter."

He watched me for a while and I saw his eyes start to close.

"Hakuba, you should really get some sleep. When was the last time you had any?" I asked him intently.

"I got an hour at the pool hall." He closed his eyes all the way and rested his head on a hand. "And I got about two hours the night you left in the morning, after the kids woke up. I think I got about thirty-minutes to an hour at school. I didn't sleep at all after the fire."

"How have you managed to stand on your feet for three days with three hours of sleep?" I stood up and towered over him. He glanced up at me with red eyes and dark circles that made him look dead.

"I had to take care of the children. If something had happened and whoever was after them showed up at my place while I was unconscious I could never have forgiven myself. I had to go to my house and my worst fears were correct; They'd followed me when I brought them to the pool hall which means they'd already been watching my place. If this group had done anything at the pool hall while we were there and sleeping, the old man couldn't have taken them alone and you were hurt."

"So you deprived yourself of sleep?" I couldn't keep my voice down.

"Kuroba-kun, you would have done the same thing in my place." He put his head on his arm and laid down on the table "but you doubtlessly would not have passed out like I did."

"Don't act like that something to be ashamed of!"

"Kuroba-kun, I'm tired. Let me sleep while you're up and wake me before you go to sleep. You need it to."

"We're both going to sleep." I sat down but my tone didn't change, just the volume.

"It's not safe. They could have followed the kids out of the building to where ever you're keeping them now."

"No, it's safe. We're both going to sleep there. I don't think they'd do anything to my house with just my mom here."

"I'm not really listening to you at this point you know" he mumbled from inside his arm "when I'm more coherent you can explain it to me. For now I'll trust you."

Hakuba had his right arm out in front of him with the left wrapped around his head like a pillow. I'd fallen asleep at the table plenty of times and knew it was uncomfortable when you woke up. I couldn't get him to bed without help but I let him pass out for now. I wanted the detective sleep for as long as he could before waking him so I didn't say anything about how stupid he was being.

My mom came in after the yelling had died down. "Kaito, give me your arm so I can re-bandage it." I was about to take my shirt off when I noticed it would show my newer bandaging. "Can you just cut the sleeve?"

"Sure, give me your arm." I cringed when I drew my arm away from my body and she noticed.

"Does it hurt that bad?"

I shook my head. "It hasn't been a good day." My mom didn't need me to explain further

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

I shook my head again. "Just don't look for us in the morning. We won't leave the house without saying goodbye to you unless it's an emergency."

"I understand Kaito. I'm here if you need anything so don't forget that." She finished washing and rewrapping the first burn and I made a noise when she moved my arm further to get at the burns on my shoulder.

"Kaito, just how badly are you hurt?" She dropped her gentleness in a second and stared me hard in the eye.

"Would you believe me if I said it was nothing?"

"No."

We stared at each other for a few minutes. I really didn't want to tell her but she's the kind of person you couldn't lie to even if you tired.

I took hold of her wrist with my left hand "I got shot earlier today. It didn't hit anything major but it hurts when I bend my arm."

"Kaito, you should have told me!" I saw the tears in her eyes but she was angry. My mom took my arm slower this time and dealt with the burns. Her actions were meticulous and strained as she tried not to cause me unnecessary pain while she was trying to stay mad. She put the cloth down and finished tying it up. Her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry. I know what your doing is important to you but it makes me makes me sad when you get hurt. I start wishing things I shouldn't."

"Don't worry so much, mom. I'm taking care of myself."

She messed up my hair."I know."

She went over to Hakuba's sleeping form and took his right hand that wasn't supporting his head. After removing the skin colored gloved she inspected the wrapping underneath before taking out the scissors and cutting it away.

His burns were much worse than mine and there was fresh blood on the area below his knuckles, most likely caused when he'd stopped me from falling.

She dipped a fresh cloth in the water bowl she had brought and washed his hand lightly. I saw him twitch a few times before he settled down, never waking up. Mom cut the cloth in half to wrap it around his fingers more comfortably before wrapping up the rest. His hand hadn't stopped bleeding.

She took Hakuba's head and tilted it to the side so that she could get at his other hand. This one wasn't bleeding and I could see the blisters that were still on it along with raw skin covering large patches of his hand. She took care of it just as quickly as his other hand and rinsed the bowl out.

"Is he hurt anywhere else that you know about?" Mom asked me. I had to think through the fog of sleep that was attacking me.

"Yeah, his ankles got burned pretty badly." I put my hands up "mine aren't that serious, I've already forgotten about them. We have to thank the flame resistant clothing for that." And it was true; my ankles hadn't been bothering me all day.

I scooted my chair away from Hakuba so she could help him. I would have been helping too if my arm would have let me and I wasn't afraid I'd pass out. Mom pulled up the leggings of his pants and removed the bandages to reveal angry burn marks that had made their way up most of his calves. I frowned when I thought back to the fire; I hadn't remembered them being that bad but at the time I was scarcely holding onto consciousness so I couldn't trust my judgment.

She washed and wrapped up his burned legs as well which only got a reaction out of him when she went over a blistered area. She put the supplies back.

"You should both get to bed, where are you going to sleep?"

"We're going to be in the 'other' room." I didn't know if she'd understand what I was talking about but she nodded. I was surprised at how much she knew.

"I take it that it's not too safe to be seen in the house." I nodded to her. "Then I'll go get some heavy blankets from the closet upstairs to make it more comfortable."

I shook Hakuba's shoulder with my good arm. "Hakuba-kun. Get up Hakuba-kun, I can't move you to the other room by myself." He must have been exhausted because he didn't move an inch. Only slow steady breathing told me he was alive.

"Mom" I spoke to her when she returned with the blankets. "Can you help me get him over the room? Jii-chan's going to need to stay the night as well with some…other guests. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, is it ok?"

"Of course Kaito. Are they in there now?"

"Yeah, when we get him over to the room, Jii-chan can help get him inside."

I went on Hakuba's right so that I could lever him up with my good side. Mom took most of his weight herself as she put his arm over her shoulder and we lifted him up."

"Um?" Hakuba muttered, the most unintelligent sound I'd ever heard from him.

"We're going to sleep now and I have to get you into the other room, can you walk?" Hakuba wasn't really conscious but he still tried to help us along, mom was good at keeping him balanced.

When we made it to the portrait and I gave his full weight to her and she wrapped her other arm securely around his waist. She supported him easily and I wondered how much the detective weighed. Pushing the frame inward, I found the main light for the room off and a little lamp on the cluttered side table was the only illumination.

"Jii-chan" I called out "where are you?"

"I'm right here young master." I heard his voice come from the corner of the room and saw as he got up from a bundle of other shapes. "The children are asleep."

"So is Hakuba-kun. Can you help us get him in?" Jii looked at me as if I'd gone mad.

"Young master, this is very dangerous. That boy is a detective and he could turn you into the police. Here you are not only helping him but letting him into this secret room. I can't allow it young master. I can't allow you to do that you yourself."

"Fine, Jii-chan I'm not asking you anymore, I'm telling you. Help me get Hakuba-kun into the room right now," I hissed through my teeth. I had a bad habit of getting mad at anyone who tried to tell me what to do, my teachers could attest to that.

"I'm sorry young master, I can't." I was about to yell at the old man when my mom pushed me out of the way and stared him down, even in the dark with Hakuba hanging loosely at her side she looked threatening.

"Jii-san, my son is asking you to help him and if you can't trust his judgment I suggest you leave my home right now."

Jii didn't know what to do and was outnumbered. He looked crestfallen but took one of Hakuba's arms from my mother "Yes, madam." I was worried about the detective when Jii also seemed to have no problem supporting his weight. Being as tall as he was, Hakuba should have been more of burden on the two of them.

I entered the room after Jii got out of the way and received the blankets from my mom. "Good night and be safe" she told me.

"You too," I reached over to kiss her on the cheek "I love you mom."

"I love you too Kaito."

She closed the portrait while I unfolded the largest and thickest of the blankets and laid it out on the floor. "Put Hakuba-kun on the end, by the table." I told Jii, not turning to face him.

"I'm sorry that you're angry at me young master," he positioned Hakuba so he wouldn't hit his head on the table leg if he moved in his sleep "but I only do what I think is best for you and the situation is already out of hand."

I grabbed a large, lighter blanket and threw it over near them. "I know that Jii-chan, and I can't say what I'm doing is smart but I'm the only one that can do it right now and he needs my help."

"He could have slept in your room."

"No, Hakuba-kun would either get killed, since they're already after him, or he'd wake up before us and panic when he couldn't find us. I don't think that would be good for him in the state he's in right now, he's been trying too hard." I placed another blanket on the ground and grabbed up Kei-chan, placing her in the middle of the two blankets, she moaned in her sleep and turned to her right when I put her down but didn't wake up.

"You two share that trait then. You've been trying to hard as well, young master. I'm not sure how much more you can handle." He placed an arm on my good shoulder as he said this.

"I just need to know that you'll be there for me Jii-chan. I'll be alright."

"I hope so, I truly do." Jii picked up Kane and put him next to his sister; the boy opened his eyes but closed them after he knew he wasn't in danger. Once next to Kei he put his hand out and grabbed hers before falling back to sleep. Jii laid down on the end of the second blanket, as far away from Hakuba as he could get, as I went to retrieve Hisa.

Picking the girl up hurt but I didn't make a noise; I didn't want to wake her up. After putting her between Kane and Jii I took the lighter blanket and covered them up, the end half covering Kei.

"Damn, I forgot to get pillows" I muttered to myself. Turning around to head back out I saw a bunch of them stacked just inside the room. My mom had a good head on her shoulders to go along with her heart. I gave one to Jii and placed one under each of the kids. I put one next to Hakuba and put the last one under his head without resistance.

I took my place next to him and put the last blanket over both of us and Kei. She turned to look at me with sleepy eyes at the movement and smiled before turning back to her brother.

I would have stayed up and worried about everything that was happening around me so fast it was hard for my fortitude to keep up if I wasn't so wasted already. I should have stayed awake and planned out the next day. I should figured out what I was going to do with the kids and if I was going to put my mom in danger by leaving them here. I should have at least decided on something.

Letting my thoughts drift as only one thought came to me, _spontaneity suited me better then regimen,_ and I fell asleep, not worrying about a single thing.

…

A high pitched noise woke me up and I jumped.

"Sheesh" I rubbed my head from where I struck the car with it. Why had my father thought I was a good idea to keep a car in the room?

Kei looked down at me from the front end of the vehicle with the birdcage on her head and my cape around her shoulders. "I'm a birdie." She giggled.

"Yes, you're a very cute birdie" I took the cage away so she wouldn't hurt herself on the metal frame.

"Kuroba-kun, could you watch where you're swinging your arms around next time?" The detective moved from where he'd fallen asleep and rubbed the side of his cheek "Getting punched in the face isn't the best way to wake up."

"Sorry Hakuba-kun, I didn't know I hit you."

A sneeze came from the stairs and I turned to find Hisa trying to sit on the railing. "Don't do that Hisa-chan," I ran over to get her before she could hurt herself. "If you fall you could land on the heater."

"Ok," she sat back down on the steps but was mad at me from ruining her fun.

Kane was being good and just sitting in the car's passenger seat, watching his sister with a trained eye that showed years of routine.

Jii-chan wasn't in the room and I looked it over once more just to make sure I hadn't missed him among the clutter.

"Hisa-chan, where did Jii-chan go?" she turned her head away from me and refused to answer. I scowled back at her. "Kane-kun, do you know where he went?"

The boy reached over the car door and pointed at the portrait.

"Thank you Kane-kun, I appreciated it." I stuck my tongue out at Hisa as I passed her.

"Kuroba-kun, grow up."

"I refuse." I snickered at Hakuba and stuck my tongue out at him too.

"I'm in a room full of children" he sighed and looked around. "You know what, where am I?" he turned to face me.

"You're in my changing room" I disclosed. "We're still in my house but I don't know if you want to stay here. The room's kind of small."

Hakuba stretched out and got to his feet. "Its fine, but I think the children might destroy your things." His expression told that'd already destroyed some of his.

"Most of the stuff here isn't breakable. We still need… to …find…" I smelled my mom's cooking and pushed the frame a few inches.

"Food!" Kei yelled and got off the hood of the car, still dragging around the cape. Kane followed her as she swarmed me trying to get out. The boy gave me an apologetic smile as he passed and Hisa got up off the stairs to follow them, giving me the cold shoulder.

"It looks like we'll be eating breakfast first. We can confirm the information we got yesterday later and I can ask Jii-chan if he knows anything about them." I held the frame to keep it from shutting so Hakuba could get through; his eyes were still taking in the room.

"You sure know who to make a mess look organized." He commented.

"Most of it's the way my dad left it. I only need the clothing and a few supplies" I tapped the airplane hanging from the ceiling "the rest aren't my doing."

"You left the rest the way your father had it out of respect." I eyed him but said nothing.

"Hey that's mine!" I heard Kei yell from the kitchen. We both looked desolately into the other room.

"Let's go." I let him out before me and eyed the room one last time before turning the lights off.

By the time we made it to the kitchen the argument had been settled and all the children were eating. Jii was with my mom, trying to get milk for the kids.

There was grilled salmon and I turned to run away.

"Kaito, don't worry, I only made it for the kids and our guests. I have an omelet for you"

Hakuba looked at me as I froze, turned in the other direction. "Mom," I moaned "I can't sit at the table with _that_."

"It'll be fine Kaito, it's not like I'm trying to make you eat it this time."

I sucked in a breath and turned back towards the table. I sat on the end, as far away from everyone and their fish as I could get. Mom placed the omelet, rice, pickles, and Miso soup in from of me. "See, it's not that bad."

"Young master," Jii sighed "If the chocolate cravings weren't bad enough-"

"Hey, lots of people like chocolate!" I yelled back, quieter I added "and chocolate can't look at you."

Hakuba took a seat between me and Jii. There weren't any other spots open since Kane was the middle of the two girls and my mom was at the head of the table. He moved his fish so it was closer to the old man then me. I was taken aback that he didn't tease me about my unreasonable fear of the creature.

Well, out loud it sounded unreasonable but my brain didn't see it that way. You couldn't get me near the thing unless it was strictly necessary.

The children helped keep the uncomfortable silence at bay through the meal. Kei and Hisa got mad at one another and threw their pickles at each other. With a little intervention on our part, we succeed in making them throw their pickles at us as well. My mom couldn't stop laughing when Hisa hit me with one on the nose and made me looked like a pig, I even heard Hakuba stifle a laugh which rewarded him with a pickle in the face, courtesy of me.

"Can I watch TV?" Kei pulled on my mom's shirt and still had rice all over her face.

"Sure Kei-chan, but clean yourself up first." Kei rushed over to the counter while Kane grabbed her dishes along with his own. "You're such a good boy." My mom played with his hair "I remember a little boy who always used to put my dishes away too."

"You have two feet of your own Okaasan" I mumbled, snagging just my dishes when I got up. I saw her eyeing me as I waited for Kane to rinse his out.

"Fine, fine" I removed her dishes as well and piled them up like Kane had, separating the bowls and plates.

Kei turned on the TV and I could hear it blasting way too loud "Kei-chan, turn it down!" I screamed over a commercial for some type of cereal. She didn't' hear me and started flipping channels.

"Kids," I sighed.

"Tell me about it" came the reply from all three of them. Mom blushed and Hakuba discretely coughed in his hand. I started laughing.

"…_well cover it later tonight, when the notorious Kaitou Kid has warned he will steal the Black Orlov Diamond which is…"_ Kei changed the channel again to a cartoon and sat down to watch it.

It was actually funny how quickly everyone in the kitchen froze.

"You didn't" Hakuba beseeched.

"Of course I didn't" I rested my arms on the counter "as if I even had time for something like that." Everyone looked at one another.

"Well." Hakuba stated nonchalantly. "That's some impeccably atrocious timing."


	7. Two for the Price of One

Again my spell checker is absent *sigh* So I've looked it over myself several times but I do tend to miss things since I know what 'should' be there instead of what is or isn't.  
I am mad at her *grr* but she had been busy so I'll giver her some slack.

I don't know the exact relationship between Baaya and Hakuba so... yah Gosho should have continued the story and not added her in the last chapter  
*grr* again. I now own the third book though (only the third and not in English, I'm manually translating from the computer so I can read it. It's taking FOREVER) but yay!

I'm also going to continue my deathfic one...ah, at the same time. But it shouldn't bother this story any, this one will take PRIORITY!  
hopefully  
hehehe, don't worry, it will.

Typing new chapters has become difficult because I no longer have the computer I was borrowing and am once again at the library.  
It's boring here and I don't have snacks. *sigh*  
And I've a 2 hour time limit  
And I'm slow at typing  
*sigh*  
In fact I'm getting kicked off in 4 minutes so I'm going to post this real quick. If I've forgetten to mention something, opps.

Please Review! This was my favorite chapter to write!

* * *

_**Chapter 7: Two for the Price of One**_

"So what am I supposed to do?" Hakuba yelled at me. We'd been having this argument for some time now and he still couldn't let it go.

"Go get some sleep, watch over the kids, I really don't care what you do but you aren't going anywhere near this."

"Kuroba-kun, I'm a detective and already on this case, it would be stranger if I didn't go than if I did."

"Don't you get it Hakuba-kun? What if the people after you are using this hoax as a way to get you out of hiding? Then you're going to be a sitting duck and I can't help you when you're surrounded by cops!"

"You can't help anyone right now. Have you forgotten just how injured you are? If you go out now, you'd be in just as much danger as me."

"I won't get caught."

"Neither will I."

Mom sighed from the chair. None of us had moved, trying to figure out what was happening and what we were going to do about it.

If this Kid was just an imposter I could handle them easily enough. If it was the people who were after Hakuba and the kids, it wouldn't be safe for the detective to be there even if he was still disguised. Inspector Nakamori would have to know about him and a teenager hanging around the police was like a beacon in the night. Either way, having Hakuba leave the house was a phenomenally bad idea.

"How come someone so smart can be so clueless sometimes? You can't do anything by coming along."

"And neither can you Kuroba-kun. Don't you think a bullet wound should ground you from the matter as well?"

"The young master would have me" Jii interjected "and I wouldn't let him get hurt. You have the children that you need to protect as well. I hate the young master putting himself in danger but he must, you do not need to."

_Score one for me. _I had Jii on my side now and Hakuba wouldn't be able to change his mind.

"I think you're wrong."

_Damn, so close._

"What do you mean Kuroba-san?" Jii asked her.

"Kaito's hurt badly even if he doesn't want to admit it." Mom turned to me. "If you had to, would you be able to get out of a locked room before the police arrived?"

"Of course I-"

"Really, so there's nothing that could possibly make tonight a catastrophe? You'll come back home no matter what, even with your arm hurting you so bad you can't remove it from your side?"

I sat down at the table and rested my head in the palm of my left hand.

"If I had to get out, I could. I can't ignore something like this mom."

"Of course you can't. I'd be disappointed in you if you did" she got up and grabbed my cape from where Kei had dropped it "and Jii-san isn't as young as he used to be."

"I will do everything I can for the young master." Jii remarked to my mom's insinuation.

"I'm not saying you wouldn't but it might not be enough. I'm sure Kaito hasn't relied on you too much in the past, for both your sakes." She tapped him lightly on the shoulder to show she meant no hard feelings by it. It was true; I didn't take advantage of Jii unless I knew the man would be safe.

"Both of them want to go and I only see one solution" mom took the cape and put it around Hakuba's shoulders "and that's to go together."

My head slipped off my hand and I hit my chin hard on the wood.

"Are you crazy Okaasan?" I stood up and had to restrain myself from striking the table. "There's no way I would let Hakuba-kun do that, not like he would anyway. That's crazy!" I turned to the detective for back-up. He was looking at my mom.

"That's brilliant."

"Have you gone off the deep end too?" I turned to Jii, trying to get someone to see that this was insane. He just shrugged his shoulders.

"You've let him this far and if he's willing to help, you should take it young master."

I closed my eyes and stormed out of the room, muttering how they'd all gone bonkers. When I passed Hisa in the main room, she looked at me and had to rub her eyes before turning away, not turning to face me again. Kane was busy watching Kei who was busy watching a show about talking food products. _How much more messed up could my life get?_

I made it to my room without smashing anything. How could Hakuba have agreed with my mom so easily? He was a detective for the love of- Why would he agree to go with me? I mean, I wasn't going to be stealing anything; I always made it a point to leave my own notice instead of acting on the fake one, but… hm...

It made sense in a weird kind of way. I wouldn't be taking anything and we'd both be stopping a crime from happening.

That didn't change the fact that he would be working with me as Kid… in the open… again…Hakuba's priorities were shifting just as mine had little more than a year ago and I couldn't blame him for it; I was the one who could write a book on getting a good outcome from doing something bad.

It didn't mean I had to like it. I had enough arguments with him as school and, even though we'd been getting along for the most part, out objectives and personalities were just too different. It also meant that I would have to change in front of him and work openly with him. The proverbial cat had been let out of the bag ages ago and Hakuba had seen the outfit in my dad's room so there was no reason to hide anymore. I hadn't even realized that I'd revealed myself to him, I'd given him indisputable proof and he hadn't even said anything.

Things would definitely be weird after all this chaos was over.

I wasn't going to let Hakuba know he had won so I stayed in my room longer to figure out just how this was going to work. Hakuba wasn't recognizable anymore but having him with me would be noticeable and there was a chance that the hair dye and clothes wouldn't be enough to fool everyone.

There was no way I was going to let him dress up with me. It would be hilarious watching the police scramble around when three Kaitou Kids, if my imposter showed, appeared but the detective would not find it amusing and I couldn't count on how he would react.

There were still those masks that Jii and dad had, that would hide his face, I could definitely use those and I was sure I could find some sort of outfit that wouldn't scar Hakuba's ego. I chuckled to myself when an option came to me, one that he might be able to live with.

I went down stairs and snuck past the kitchen where I could hear mom talking quietly. The kids weren't as easy to sneak past, but I made it to dad's portrait without being stopped. There was a lock mechanism on the back that had kept me out when I was a kid, which I employed now to keep from being interrupted as I worked out my idea.

…

"Kaito, are you in there?" I heard my mom knocking on the side of the wall. I looked up at a small clock sitting on the desk and whistled to myself when I saw that three hours had gone by.

"Just a minute mom, I'm a little busy." I wrapped up the finishing touches on the material so it didn't look as pieced together as it was. My sowing skills had improved since I had to fix the little cuts in my suit and I'd help my mom a few times with repairs, but my stitch work couldn't stand up to a critical eye... and if anyone asked it was shotty because my arm was injured.

I sighed and eyed over my work. Well, it was better then nothing and I hoped it would fit him since Hakuba was larger than me and I didn't have any measurements besides his height. Oddly enough I had remembered it from when he'd told Aoko even though I hadn't been trying to. My subconscious worked in mysterious ways.

I folded up the material and grabbed a can of spray paint from the drawer. They rattled around as I searched for a black one, most of them being red because it was such an attention grabbing color, even at night.

I slipped a few other things in my arm after disabling the lock on the entrance. My mom was standing on the other side, smiling at me.

"So did you figure out what you were going to do? You're not leaving Hakuba-kun out are you?"

"Nah, I found something he could help with and I've got it all planned out." We walked into the kitchen together where Hakuba and Jii were talking civilly to each other. Whatever they were discussing was halted when they caught sight of me. I emptied my arm everything but the spray paint and warned all of them not to touch anything until I got back.

"What is it?" Hakuba eyed the dark material as I started shaking up the spray bottle.

"You'll see when I get back, just give me a second." I went out the front door with a backwards look in the kitchen. Hakuba and my mom both raised their hands to show that they hadn't gone near it. I shut the door.

I mademy way to the back yard and grabbed a foldable top hat out of one of my pockets and placed it on the ground. I had made sure to get it before leaving my dad's room and the fold-up one was easier to carry. It took me a while using one hand with the spray bottle and not being able to move the hat without setting the can down but I eventually got it all black without accidently spraying the house. A bit of waving around helped it dry faster.

After five minutes I thought it was fine and wrapped a light gray ribbon around the base, which was harder then sowing the outfit had been since it was a 'must use two hands' job.

The hat came out looking like a negative of the one I would be wearing tonight. Everythingwas finally done.

It felt nice to have made something, almost identical to the feeling of finding a new magic trick and performing it flawlessly. It wasn't as good but it was a close call.

I made my way back into the house with the black hat and Hakuba spit out some of the water he was drinking.

"What exactly are you doing? That better not be for me"

"Of course it is, de-tec-tive." I gathered the other materials and handed them to him "Don't knock it until you try it. This option is better than having you parade around as a second Kid or follow me with your weak disguise."

"What is it?" He held up a piece of black cape and revealed the white mask hidden in its folds.

"A way to keep eyes off of your visible features. It's always worked for me." I took another hat out, this one for myself, and placed it on my head. "You'll fit right in."

He put the hat down and stared daggers at me "I will not be wearing anything like the gaudy outfit you flit around in."

I laughed at him and picked up a piece of the clothing. "Don't worry about it, this isn't as gaudy and it's black so I'm hoping no one will see you. This is just in case they do."

I dug out the white shirt from the pile and the dark tie. "Hopefully this will blend in more when you put the black coat over it. I was going for authentic."

"Authentic?" He looked at the negative of my own coat "Just what were you going for?"

"Can't you tell? Tonight will be the first time in history that that infamous Kaitou Kid and ill-famed Night Baron team up for the good of... whomever!"

Hakuba gave me a sly smile, falling in with my plan. If things went my way he wouldn't be noticed and I'd be able to get all eyes on me. For good or bad, since teaming up with Hakuba, my luck had been in a downward slope so I made sure he was as inconspicuously conspicuous as he could be.

Hakuba's dark hair went well with the costume and he actually freaked me out. The white smiling mask was what did it. Hakuba had gotten the suit on along with the strange belt that went around his waist, designed to show on top of the coat. It looked good on him, a mixture of my outfit and his Sherlock Holmes, just in black. The flared out collar hid the sides of his face and the white mask hid the rest.

"This feels so wrong." He said to his reflection, voice muffled from the papier-mâché "Why am I the bad guy?"

"Are you saying that Kid's a good guy?"

He shut up instantly and gave me an uncertain, and a bit pained, look.

"Oi, Hakuba-kun, are you ok? It was just a joke." He just looked at the mask as he took it off and played with it in his hands.

"Kuroba-kun, will you ever answer my question?" he eyes were embedded on the mask and his voice was quiet though his eyes held none of the weakness his body langue was emanating.

"What question?" He had to drop the subject. Hakuba would be in so much danger for knowing who I was if Snake and his associates found out. They'd use him to get to me in my 'normal' life and kill me just like they had dad. Hakuba wasn't someone who'd give into them. He'd be killed.

"I don't want you second-guessing me tonight so I'll drop it for now but when I want something I don't stop until it's mine." I grabbed the mask and put in back on his face.

"I don't feel like getting back to it later, you're staying away from this." I kept the mask on his face as he tried to pull away "Don't ask anymore and don't go looking for the answers, they may be the last thing you get."

The obvious threat stilled him and he removed my hand. "I think that's smart" he handed the mask back "it would be stupid to trust me." Hakuba walked out of the room, and left me feeling like I'd just kicked a puppy.

"It's for the best." I told myself "He'll get hurt if he goes any further down my path." _Hah, as if I could fool _myself. I let the mask fall and went to my room. I was stopped by a sudden pounding at the door.

My heart sped up. Mom was already at the house and Hakuba had just gone... somewhere in the living room with the kids, Jii was with my mom. No one should have been knocking at the door.

The knocking continued and I tried to calm myself down. If it was a hit-man they wouldn't be knocking at the door, they would have came in quietly and picked us off.

"Kaito! You open up right now!"

Ah, such a lovely sound. I went to open the door and it was pushed in just as I turned the knob.

"Ow Aoko, you hit me in the face!" my nose and forehead were sore from where the corner hit it.

"Kaito, I told you not to go skipping school!" She yelled right in my ear and I was sure the neighbors could hear her.

"What? What days is it?" I had really lost track of the days...how far away was the weekend? My honest reaction took her aback.

"Kaito" she looked at me nervously "it's Thursday."

"Really? Sorry about that Aoko, school must have slipped my mind. It happens sometimes" I wasn't lying. I smiled at her and put went to put my arms behind my head, forgetting for the hundredth time that those kinds of motions were a bad idea.

"Kaito you should really come to school _daily_" she stressed "it's not fun without you." I saw the blush start under her eyes.

"I'm sorry..." I was going to say that I'd be there tomorrow but that wasn't looking promising. "How about if I try to come tomorrow? I'm still fighting off a little cold so I'm not sure if I can make it."

"You're still sick?" she went to reach for my forehead but I pushed her away.

"I'm getting better so don't worry about it. I don't want you go get sick too." I leaned over and took her right hand to kiss it. "It wouldn't do for the princess to miss school as well." Her blush was in full force now and removed her hand. "And I've already proven that idiots can catch a cold."

The blush turned an angry shade of red and I really didn't want to get into a game of tag with her at the moment so I didn't egg her on anymore.

"You should come to school then so I won't have to be worried _sick_ over you." She turned to leave and I caught hold of her shoulder.

"I really don't think I'll make it tomorrow but I'll be sure to be there all next week, is that fine?" She smiled back at me.

"Sure."

I watched as Aoko vanished out of sight in time to turn around and almost run into Jii.

"Wooh young master, watch yourself." He forced my injured shoulder away so he wouldn't hurt me.

"Sorry Jii-chan," I sighed "it seems like I'm doing everything wrong. I just made Aoko and mom worry about me, being here now is putting mom in danger, I got Hakuba-kun mad because he doesn't think I trust him, and I've gotten your place burned down. There's not much else that can go wrong."

"There are always things that can go wrong." Jii faced me "The detective could have turned you into the cops, the kids and I could have been killed in that fire, and you could have been killed when you were shot. I don't think you know this but that bullet just missed an important artery and you would have bled to death before you made it to me." I saw him smile "Everything else you just mentioned can be fixed."

I returned the smile hesitantly. "Yeah, but it'll be a pain in the butt to fix everything."

"Then get to it." He went off the kitchen where I could hear my mom making lunch.

Ok, I thought to myself. Aoko first, I had ignored her the past few days and for good reason but I would have to make it up to her. Another day at the amusement park, this time _around _my schedule, seemed encouraging. Done.

Then I needed to do something about Hakuba, I'd worry about my mom later since I didn't know where else we could stay. The detective didn't understand why I couldn't tell him anything and I didn't want to redraw the line that had separated our enterprises. If he couldn't understand, then working with him on this wouldn't be possible.

I made my way into the main room but didn't see him. The children were still watching TV, though the pillows and cushions were all around the room, indicating that they'd been up to something earlier.

"Hey, where's Hakuba-kun?"

Hisa turned away from me and Kei was too engrossed in commercial for pop-candy that I had to rely on Kane again. He looked up at me and pointed to the portrait.

_Why in the world would Hakuba go in dad's room?_ My mind immediately went to thoughts of betrayal and I shoved them away. Despite what Hakuba thought, I trusted the detective more than most anyone else. With people like him you knew where you stood and where their values lay.

"Hakuba-kun?" I moved the frame in easily and found him sitting where Hisa had on the steps. They didn't lead anywhere, there was just more storage area above the room like a miniature attic. The black hat was on the step beside him. Hakuba didn't look as angry as he had before but he tensed up when I entered.

"Kuroba-kun, come to tell me I won't be going tonight? You can't keep me here." I held up my hands and winced, this time hurting the burned area when I bent it.

"I'm not Hakuba-kun, you're free to come with me if you want," I handed him the mask I had swiped off the floor on the way over. He looked like Dracula without it. "I trust you."

"I can see that," he said sarcastically. "I'd hate to meet someone you didn't trust."

"Hakuba-kun will you shut up and think for a second? If I didn't trust you would you be _here_, in this room right now? Would I have let you come to Jii-chan's with me? Would I have brought you to my house and let you come with me to Yanami-san's if I didn't trust you?"

"Then why are you keeping the most important information from me?" The anger was back "I've not been fair, I know. I've been invading your life and for the most part, it's one-sided but I didn't choose that. Want to know something?" He took a breath.

"Hisa-chan is my little cousin; my dad's sister was part of the group who wanted perfect kids. My father wanted me to be a lab baby as well but my mother wouldn't allow it which is why I grew up in Britain. I only found out the reason recently..." he faced me "and you know what bothers Hisa-chan the most? You. Isn't that funny?" Hakuba chuckled humorlessly.

"What do you mean?"

"She says you're aura's white, ironic isn't it?" He watched me with resignation "The person who I've been trying to catch for so long has the spirituality of an angel. It makes me feel like..." he took the mask from me "...like a bad guy. I need to know that catching those who break the law, even for good reason, is right. It used to be simple before you came along."

"Don't over think it." Hakuba watched as I gathered up the blankets we had left out from last night. "I've said it enough, I'm different. You're not going to find people in my situation every day. You're doing the right thing, arresting people I mean, I don't know about the rights and wrongs of working with me. I think that just makes you psychotic."

"So what I'm doing right now is wrong."

"No, I mean, kind of I guess. Hakuba-kun the world isn't black and white; sometimes you need to go in the grey."

"So it's ok to break the law occasionally."

"No..." I laid down on the floor and leaned against the blankets I'd just folded. "I'm not the best person you should be talking to about this. Let me see. There are bad people out there and you're going to run into them, human and all. Everyone has a reason for what they do like woman killing their abusive husbands. Sometimes the reasons are good and sometimes they're bad, but you don't have to make that choice, society does. That's the point of court."

"The court system is full of flaws."

"Hakuba-kun stop trying to criticize everything I say! If someone commits murder, no matter the reason, they're going to need to get away, either to jail or therapy. Nothing is perfect so you can't expect your judgment to be. You just have to do what you think is right, that's what I'm doing"

"And you can't tell me why that is."

"No, I can't. The reason I can't tell you is for your own sake. I'm not some self-sacrificing hero, telling you won't help me in anyway even if it gets you on my side, it will only hinder me. Can't you understand that?"

Hakuba remained silent for a long time. I was afraid any movement from me would snap him out of whatever realization he was coming to before he was able to look into it. My black and white, right and wrong speech was my own version of life quickly muddled clumsily into words. I wasn't sure Hakuba had understood what I was trying to get across.

"Sorry I've been such a fool." He finally broke the silence. I laughed, gently but not insulting.

"Don't worry about it, I'm the one who's tearing your would apart. Try not and take too much of my rationalization with you when we go back to being rivals, I don't want you seeing through my tricks."

"It's still so confusing," he put his palms up to rub his eyes. "I won't ever know why you're doing this, helping me and stealing. It's like you have a contradicting personality I can't figure out. Would it be right to arrest you?"

"That's for you to decide, isn't it Tantei-san?" I got up and brushed off make believe dust from my pants. "Let's get ready before we're late to the show."

…

Hakuba fixed a jacket over his shoulders to hide most of the costume. I was able to change on the fly but being injured made it impossible so I wore a large overcoat as well, both of them a dark inconsequential brown.

"Be carefully Kaito," mom kissed me on the forehead and I brushed it off. "You be careful to Hakuba-kun, look out for each other" they shook hands.

"We will" the confidence in Hakuba's voice put me off.

"Let's go, is your nanny still coming to pick us up?" I asked him when we were down the street, even if Hakuba knew who I was; I wasn't going to give his house keeper any information.

"Yes, but we'll need to find an alternate way home or she'll think something's up when we don't stay with the investigation."

"Understood, so how are we getting back? The buses don't run this late."

Hakuba shrugged he shoulders. "We'll overcome that obstacle when it comes."

"I'm rubbing off on you" I teased and elbowed him.

"I hope not" he put his hand to his head in a dramatic fashion "imagine me parading around in a gaudy suit in front of hundreds of Kid fans." Hakuba smiled wickedly.

"Oh, ha ha, that was sooo funny." The loose atmosphere between us was no longer one-sided and I was able to relax, a dangerous habit should he decide that Kid needed to be arrested.

Hakuba's house keeper picked us up a block down and made no comment, though I saw her look back at Hakuba's hair several times which was hiding under a European style cap for the moment instead of the black top hat folded in a large jacket pocket. The drive there was a horrible thirty-five minutes of awkward silence and I couldn't think if anything casual to talk to the detective about. The woman pulled over on the side of the street to drop us off since the police had already set up street barricades.

"Botchama, be safe. Are you sure you'll get a ride home from one of the officers?" The woman wasn't too pretty but she looked like the motherly type when she spoke with him.

"It'll be fine Baaya, don't fret." Hakuba shut the door and she took off after looking me over with my newly styled hair playing more towards Hakuba's old one.

"I feel bad tricking her; maybe you're rubbing off on me too." I scolded him, "stop it." he smiled and looked at his pocket watch.

"Fifteen minutes, twenty-three seconds and ten mil-" I bumped into Hakuba to make him knock it off.

"Timing isn't everything; it's the show that people remember. You really have to lighten up." The detective scowled before thinking about it. Hakuba seemed to be taking my opinions into consideration instead of just blowing them off like he used to or thinking I had some ulterior motive for my comment. To give the guy credit, ninety percent of the time I let my opinion or information slip because I _did _have an ulterior motive.

"Well then, let's get started. Where will this imposter be coming from?" He rubbed his hands together though an identical pair of my white gloves that he now sported.

"I could only find the best vantage points for me... this isn't me. This is more up your alley. Where would a copy-Kid come from?" I looked around the tall buildings surrounding the large museum that was holding the diamond. This copy-cat had gone after a black diamond just like I had in my latest heist and both had legends surrounding them, making me think that they were just picking the next closest item to the one I failed to acquire.

"Well let's get inside first." I told Hakuba "If we can't tell where they'll come from, we'll go to where they'll be."

"How do you suggest we get in with all the police officers?"

I started walking to the back of the museum where there was a significantly less crowd of people but the same amount of cops. If it'd been anyone else they would have covered the back entrance more heavily but I had made it a point to go through the front more than not.

Almost three fourths around the building I pulled out a thin, invisible string and shot it to the roof. "Hold onto me and help me get up when we reach the top." Hakuba nodded and held onto my good side while I secured a rope around his belt to hold most of his weight.

The mechanism under my coat sleeve that wrapped around my body drew us up quickly and Hakuba grabbed onto the ledge and heaved himself up.

"Thanks" I mumbled as he helped me, feeling bad for grabbing his hands that were still burnt. I quickly threw a beige sheet over us as a helicopter passed overhead. The search light passed over us. "Let's get in through the ventilation. Be quiet and follow me." He nodded.

Making our way through the ventilation duct was slow and not as noiseless as I would have liked. It was easy enough if I could have used both my hands and Hakuba was more skilled in the art of 'not making as much noise as an elephant stampede.'

"Sorry" he apologized when he hit his elbow against the side of the shaft. I hissed in a breath.

"It's not that much further." I thanked whatever god was out there for the ventilation duct being just ten feet from the exhibit.

We reached a grate still a few feet from the diamond and descended. Inspector Nakamori must have noticed that this was a fake as well because there wasn't anyone to meet us as we dropped down. Hakuba was quieter during this since his new change to tennis shoes.

We snuck slowly towards the goal and avoided the police. Hiding two people was harder but Hakuba was patient and waited for my signals.

We arrived in the exhibit room and found twin hiding spots a few feet apart. The lights were on and we'd be in the spot light if we had to jump out to stop the imposter, Hakuba's clothes were good for blending into the shadows but not the light and he would stand out more than me so I had to make sure it was safe before sending him to wolves. Both jackets hid us from view and I barely noticed the difference when Hakuba removed his. I did catch his motion and a flash of white when he placed the mask on his face.

Something further ahead my attention.

"What? What did you see?" He breathed

I smiled diabolically. "I think I've just been hit with brilliance."

"Are you sure it isn't stupidity?" Hakuba whispered to me from the shadows "because that's the look you get on your face when you're about to do something really stupid."

"Genius and stupidity go hand in hand."

"Only with you Kuroba-kun."

"I love being the exception."


	8. New Set of Wings

_**Chapter 8: New Set Of Wings**_

I signaled Hakuba to remain still while I slunk slowly around the showcase, hiding amongst displays of lesser jewels in see-through cases, leaving the dark jacket nearby in case it came in handy later.

I made my way directly opposite my original position, leaving some of my toys littered around. There were two large statues on either side of the next room's entrance and I took some time to hook up a few of my newest obsessions before making my way around the two guards who stood in-between them. I could just imagine Hakuba taking notes while watching me work, climbing carefully up one of the statues and using the ceiling and a guild wire to make in to the other, keeping a few other wires rigged to my party favors.

I made it back over to our hiding spot, between two pillars close together and off to one side. I shivered when we faced each other and made a note to myself to retire his costume when this was over, it was just too creepy.

"Kuro-, whatever" Hakuba removed the mask so his voice wouldn't echo "Kid-san… _this really feels stupid_... we've got less than a minute until the allotted time."

"If I don't keep track of the exact second I appear I don't think my look-a-like will do it either. A five minute window for arrival is okay… and… I… wanted… to..." Hakuba looked in the direction I was, over at the officers that had gathered in perpetration for Kid's arrival, and waved a hand in front of my face.

"Hey Kuro- Kid-san, what are you looking at?"

I didn't answer him but continued watching a peculiar female officer who I'd never seen before, looking somewhere in her thirties. Her hair was a medium shade of brown, tied back and she had unique Amethyst eyes that matched her nail polish. She looked nervous and her fingers were being twirled inside her pockets.

After I pick her out I continued to scrutinize her appearance. She had the basic blue uniform the other police officers were wearing, one I'd gotten a replica of long ago even if I didn't bring it along. I never found a reason to unless there were a bunch of new officers because I needed an identity to go with the uniform. I took both of those from whom ever I ran into first to make it simple. With this woman, I saw the basic outline of make-up which female police officers almost never wore lest they be treated more like woman and less like detectives.

Even though the room was full of officers, a least fourteen, the woman stayed off to the side and away from the others. I never took my eyes off of her. There was something that didn't feel right.

To test the waters I waited until she was facing me and flashed my cape in view for a second. No one else would have noticed it and I had plenty of distractions to throw at them if she sounded the alarm. I was glad Inspector Nakamori wasn't there yet or he would have caught _any_ movement I made.

Her eyes widened and Hakuba shoved my good shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing, are you trying to get us caught?"

"Shhh, I've got it under control." I turned back to the woman and saw her making her way to my position. She was doing a bad job of being inconspicuous but the other officers' attention was already taken up with restrained tension and excitement.

I grabbed Hakuba's shoulder and pushed him to the door, making sure that the woman caught the motion. The detective followed my guiding slowly with a puzzled expression.

When we rounded the corner there were no officers in the other room and there never would be because sneaking in from the adjacent room just wasn't my thing so they never bothered with it. Even when I did sneak in from the other room they never saw me coming.

I made sure we were away from the surveillance camera and got out my card gun, shooting it slightly so that we'd just be out of frame. A blank screen would have warranted unwanted attention.

I shoved Hakuba behind me just as the woman followed us in. I relaxed comfortably in her presence and flashed a smile at her which made the arm at her side twitch, not for a gun, just a small motion of surprise.

Body langue was everything but what really throws people off was sincerity. It seemed like the entire population expected to be lied to so when you're sincere it confuses them. I made it my job to keep that all my words and actions were true to how I felt, changing my emotions themselves to hide what I didn't want anyone to see, masking my expression with false control only when nervousness or fear attacked me. The woman used this sincerity against me.

"Oh my goodness, you're really here..." she stood in front of me and started crying which made my own chivalric nature kicked in. I went over to her a bowed deeply, a bit more of Kid kicking in response then my normal self.

"It seems as if you wanted to see me." I greeted her and raised my head to smile brightly again. "I'm here so please stop crying."

I could hear Hakuba sigh behind me but paid him no mind.

The woman shook her head and wiped the tears away. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do and I didn't think you would really come…" when she breathed in it was unsteady "I need help."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "It seems like that's been going around recently. What did you want from me Madame?"

She laughed softly "…. It's funny but I actually want you to steal that diamond."

Again, I raised my eyebrows and looked over at Hakuba. _Forget the detective for now_. "And why do you want me to do that? I don't make a habit to steal things for the favor of others."

"You don't understand…." Her eyebrows creased and her words held anger. "That_ is_ my diamond."

I was quiet for a while.

"Would you like to clarify how the diamond is in the museum right now?"

The tears came back to her eyes. "You don't believe me." Her shoulders slumped in defeat "The police didn't believe me either. I thought you might steal for something for a good reason this time."

"I always steal for a good reason. Explain it to me and let me decide for myself what I will and will not do. I reserve judgment until the end." Hakuba elbowed me where I'd been shot and I winced.

"Sorry…" he steadied me with his hand. "Wait. What do you think you're doing? You're not going to take anything with me here." He whispered fiercely.

"You don't even know if I am taking it." I turned away from him again to the woman who had been watching us, bewildered. After seeing Hakuba her demeanor changed to one more frightened then nervous. I definitely had to make sure he wouldn't be wearing that again. "Go on, but make it short. I don't think the police will take their time and wait for you to finish before trying to arrest us."

She nodded. "My name is Shizu and my mother bought the diamond about ten years ago. She died a few months ago and her will was… misplaced. My mother had some debts and the bank took the diamond which was more then they needed, giving me a few thousand dollars but I don't want the money! I could have paid off the debt over time but because my mother's will is gone the bank took it for restitution even though they didn't have to… I just want it back, I'd be glad to pay the money she owed but they won't do it."

I had a soft spot for those of the opposite sex and an even greater one for someone who'd lost a parent. Shizu had everything going for her.

I thought about what I could do. If I stole it now I would be a thief, I wouldn't be giving it back. Technically I would be giving it to its rightful owner but it would still be crossing a line I didn't want to cross.

"How much money did they give you?"

"Um, maybe twenty thousand."

"And how much did your mother owe?

"Somewhere around that amount as well."

"Well, it seems I'll be able to help you then. If I get it back for you, you must return the money they have given you and pay back the loan, even if they refuse. Technically they can't blame the theft on you so I'll have to take your word that you will do it."

She looked like she could have jumped up and down. "Of course, anything."

"I have another question for you, what would you have done if I hadn't shown up?"

"I would have taken it," she didn't even hesitate. "You have no idea how much I've been through trying to get it back. I would have tried to steal it over and over until I got it." She looked down at her outfit. "It took a lot of time and lying to get me here to even have a chance of getting it back."

"I understand how you feel but you should keep trying to work with the law next time until you know you can't do it anymore. Leave the thieving to the professionals. People, including myself, don't like it when kind women like you get arrested." She smiled at me.

"Should a thief really be telling a would-be-thief to not steal?"

"Only the good ones. The stupid thieves who believe that they could get away with it or those looking for a scapegoat are the only ones who'd encourage someone else along for the ride. You should take my advice, don't get mixed up in this any further."

"I know," she started crying again. "I should… I don't know. I won't do it again; I'm going to get my mom's treasure back."

"I'll get it back for you so don't worry but I need you to listen to me right now. Leave," I told her and got out a small blank card and pen I used to write my notes "give me your address and get out of here; I'll take care of the rest."

Hakuba purposely hit me where I was injured this time.

"You are not going to be doing any thieving while I'm here." He removed the mask slightly so that only I could see him.

"Hakuba-san, don't you understand?" I looked towards the other room, lowering my voice so the woman couldn't hear. "How much do you think a black diamond is worth? They're incredibly rare, even for colored stones."

He thought about it, his expression changing from anger to a different type of anger, more loathing than anything. "They didn't even give her close to the amount of the stone's worth."

"Good job detective. She's going to pay them back for what she owed and have her heirloom returned. I'll see if I can't get the police to work with her later but I can't be dealing with both your situations at the moment."

"We could just bring it to the attention of the police now."

"No." I smiled sadly "Unfortunately people aren't as good as you think. If the bank notices the police snooping around they're going to falsify documents, hide things under the rug and such. A woman going up against a large corporation would be impossible."

I couldn't help feeling bad for the detective as I forced him to do something against his nature. I would be glad when he was back with the cops in the other room and free from the murkier aspects of my job.

Shizu gave me the card and pen back with her name, address, and phone number written clearly. "Thank you so much for helping me… and believing me. I was starting to think I'd never get it back."

"Go now before the cops come, and save your thanks for when the diamond's back in your hands." She nodded and smiled to me before leaving, again rather conspicuously, through the other end of the museum.

"Hakuba-san, stay here while I get the gem and don't get into trouble." I snuck back into the other room and he continued to follow me. I waved my hand at him. "Shoo, I told you not to follow me."

The mask was hiding his features again and made it impossible to read his expression, but he kept after me as I made my way to a nearby display case. He hadn't said a word after I had admitted that I was going to take the diamond.

I took a hold of two of my guild wires and swallowed before taking a small microphone into my hand.

"Hello there gentlemen," my voice echoed around the room "I have to admit that I did not send the warning to you but the jewel has caught my interest and I feel I'll have to liberate it from you."

"Kid!" Inspector Nakamori ran in from another room, anger and surprise mixing on his face, turning it an unbecoming shade of red. "What the Hell are you up to?"

"As I said, I've come to take the jewel; do forgive me for not leaving an authentic notice." I pulled one of the wires and there was a pop followed by pink smoke releasing form the capsules I had placed around the room.

I reached for Hakuba's hand as I ran for the case, dragging him along after me. I knew if he followed me this far, he'd continue to do so and having him run blindingly through the smoke after me didn't look promising. Inspector Nakamori ran for the case as well and I felt as his hand reached mine and I lost the detective's. I twirled around in his grasp to try and get loose. How he'd found me in all that smoke was a miracle.

"Hah, I've got you now Kid!" A few more twists proved to only injure my one working arm. I sucked it up as I used my hurt one to reach into my jacket and pull out a can of sleeping gas.

The inspector wasn't as stupid as he looked. I managed to keep him in front of me with my speed advantage but he latched onto my other arm which immediately stopped all my struggling. Having a motionless Kaitou Kid in his grasp must have unnerved him because he froze along with me.

Hakuba wasn't as inert. He took the can out of my stiff arm and sprayed the Inspector right in the face, this time pulling _me_ along after _him_.

I was so surprised at his actions that I wasn't worrying about the situation for a few seconds; a cry brought me out of my stupor. "The Kid has an accomplice! Hurry up and catch them before they escape!"

Okay, time to bail. Hakuba got us over to the case as the smoke was starting to thin out. I had to cut the case open since there seemed to be something strong keeping the glass lid closed. The trinket was out and in my hand in seconds. I placed it in my front pocket like I always did before taking off.

We ran for the door when everything started going wrong. Someone from the task force caught Hakuba's arm and pulled him back. Before he could free himself another officer grabbed his black cape and pulled, putting the detective off balance and unable to free himself.

When I turned back to help him an officer lunged for me and managed to grab my ankles, forcing us both to the floor painfully. I rolled away before another could jump on top of me, trying to kick off the first one without hurting him.

I was able to get one leg free and tried to reach my second guild wire. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed something that made me pause.

Hakuba had gotten his balance back and, though the officers were bigger than him, had been able to avoid them doing more the latching onto his clothing. I noticed the first officer who had grabbed him was now trying to do so again, wearing a pair of handcuffs. There was just something comical about the whole scene that I was tempted to stay there and watch.

Whatever he was doing wouldn't keep them off him for long. I knew from personal experience that it was impossible to win a fair fight when you were smaller and outnumbered, no matter what Hollywood movies tried to tell you.

An officer caught my good arm and I smiled, reaching the wire. With a quick pull, more capsules started to pop, these containing fake Kid dolls and sleeping gas for an easy escape. The officers around us were startled, loosening their grips enough that we were both able to free ourselves almost simultaneously.

Hakuba ran to me and helped me off the ground before running at full speed out room. I caught hold of him before he dragged us too far.

"There's going to be too many people outside. We have to go through the ventilation shaft again."

"Are you crazy?" He took off the mask for a second to cough; some of the pink smoke must have gotten trapped underneath. His eyes were wide and I could see sweat running down the side of his face. "We'll never make it through in time and I'm positive the helicopter is trained on the roof at this point."

"We'll worry about the details when we get there." I attached the wire in my wrist to the suction cup and Hakuba held onto me as it raised us up to the vent.

If the detective had been loud getting into the museum, he was deafening getting out. His rushed movement assaulted the metal and after a few minutes I had to grab hold of his ankles.

"Calm down Hakuba-san or they'll be able to tell where we are form the next city block."

He turned to face me in the confined space. "Calm down? I can't believe I just did that! I helped you steal something…" The detective's frame was trembling with the adrenaline rush and nerves.

"Calm down. I shouldn't have brought you along so if you want to blame yourself, make sure you blame me more since I'm the one who actually stole it." The detective would be torturing himself after tonight and I wouldn't be able to look at him without feeling guilty if he couldn't get over it. I should have waited to help the woman until I had the assassination problem taken care of. "I'm sorry."

Hakuba started laughing. It was calm and quite at first but it quickly started to become hysterical. I waited for him to finish, not sure what to do if the cops started coming after us too soon.

"You have nothing to sorry for Kuroba-kun," he placed a hand on his forehead. "It was just a bit much for me. I'm better now. I don't regret what I did as long as you follow up on this and tell the authorities."

"Of course I will," I assured him and tapped his foot "I told you I would didn't I? Now get going you weirdo before you get us caught" I smiled. Hakuba was still trembling but that was only to be expected and we made good progress the rest of the way. I had to get in front of him at one point to get us up the final lap of the vent.

Just as he had said, the helicopter was covering the roof. Most museums had wide designs, focusing on being tall one-story building with a lot of leg room. The helicopter wasn't anywhere near us.

Hakuba got out first to help me and we made our way the few feet that brought us to the edge of the building. There was at least a thirty-foot drop to the ground and the large crowd at the bottom being held at a distance. If we did descend from the roof, the officers around the base would be able to catch us before we made it into the swarm of people. I would have gone for it if I'd been alone.

As it was I prepared to use the hang-glider.

"Okay Hakuba….-kun, we're going to fly out of here so if you hold onto my…" Wait a minute. That wouldn't work.

"Your shoulders? Kuroba-kun that would really hurt you if I did." He looked at me dubiously.

"Then you could hold my waist… but you might fall off." If he did hold onto my waist his grip would have to be good and he'd have to hang in there a long time. He'd also be throwing the balance off the glider, making it almost impossible to steer.

"I'm aware you don't know much about me but I'm not too fond of these types of suicidal activities. I might not be able to hold on. So how is this going to work? There's no way you can handle the glider and hold me without injuring your arm further."

I flipped through the options in my head and picked the smartest one. I unclipped my cape, along with the petal nodes that held in the spring-wire controlling the frame of the glider and belt around my waist that held the tiny frame to may back. I removed Hakuba's cape, swung mine around his shoulders and clipped on the shoulder pieces and belt.

"You don't honestly believe that I can fly this contraption do you?" He looked like he'd rather turn himself into the police.

"Don't worry, you can do it with my help and I can clip my belt to it as well so that I'll only need one arm to hold on. You're heavier than me and I won't be able to control it with the weight so off center if you insist on me driving." I threaded the cord for the release switch through his clothes and placed it in his hand.

"It's easy to maneuver, just don't dip the nose" I latched the clasp around his waist "or we'll go careening out of control and crash, looking like so much ketchup on the pavement."

"Thanks for that reassuring visual."

I slapped him on the back. "No problem."

…

…

We were situated as good as we were going to get. Hakuba had the glider out and I was holding his arm, ready to clip my the belt onto his when we were airborne, for now I was on his right side and holding on with my left arm. The only reason we were remaining stationary was the detective.

"Kuroba-kun I really cannot do this. I'll get us both killed." His shaking hadn't gone away either, the controversy and adrenaline leaving his nerves shot. Hakuba had taken the mask off to see better and I was able to notice how much everything was affecting him.

"Just jump and lean the way I tell you and we'll be fine. You really over think things too much. You should try being irrational once in a while."

"I prefer my reality stable and logical thank you. This kind of stunt wouldn't help anyone; I don't see how people can do it recreationally." He shot me a look. "Then again, their first attempts are after being taught and having a professional with them."

I smiled at him. "I didn't even have a teacher so stop complaining." I wasn't going to tell him that I had almost become a street tattoo myself when I'd gone after Jii. It was by a small chance of fate that I hadn't died or run into the building that was suddenly in my face when I'd pulled out of the dive.

Hakuba braced himself. "I'm not going to think about what I'm doing and if we die I'll kill you."

"Deal, now take a few steps back so we're not caught in the downdraft of the building. Take off running and I'll follow. The glider should snap up in the wind after we fall a few feet." _Hopefully the building was tall enough. I'd pulled off this height before but I'd been alone on the gilder, the extra weight would bring us down faster._

The detective backed up with me mirroring his footsteps. When we were a good distance he took off. I saw him close his eyes the minute his feet left the building and the glider snapped open.

"Hakuba lean forward more!"

He did as I said, though he was stiff and his movements were jerky. I could feel the air rush beneath us. If I was going to die, falling quickly with my adrenaline pumping didn't seem a bad way to go.

But today wasn't a good day for something so morbid. The wind whipped the glider into the air and I had to instruct Hakuba out of an almost midair summersault as I tried to hang on before latching my belt to his. It took a minute for a good wind draft to catch us and push us into an air current.

I turned to the white faced detective who was panting, looking like he was going to have a heart attack. "Did we die? I really hope we didn't."

"Don't worry Hakuba-kun, we're alive and well. I don't know if we'll be that way when I teach you how to land though, landings can be harder than taking off."

"As long as it means getting off this thing I don't care." He had one arm holding onto my coat so I wouldn't fall and I could feel him shaking. "This is something only you could find fun to do every night."

"Hey, I don't do it every night. I'd never get any sleep." I winked at him.

Hakuba started relaxing though the tension never completely left his body. "See it wasn't that hard was-" A sharp pain cut me off and Hakuba looked down with his eyes, not his head.

"What's wrong Kuroba-kun?" The world was dizzying for a moment and I couldn't answer him. There was a tiny noise coming from somewhere, like something cracking.

My head hurt badly. I took my injured arm and put it just above my temple and ear on my right side, furthest away from Hakuba. The glove came away covered in blood. I looked down trying not to throw the detective off balance.

There was no way this hitter was after Hakuba since it was impossible to recognize him. They had to after me.

My impaired vision didn't stop me from seeing a few riflemen on the buildings below us.

"Hakuba-kun lean up slightly and try and get us higher in the air." He didn't dare looked down but I saw a small nod as he did what I told him.

"What happened? Did you see something?" I didn't think he could get any more nervous. Another brush of pain above my left arm made me yelp.

"Felt something unfortunately. You have to get us higher" I thought about it for a second. "Actually I want you to dive so we can pick up speed and get out of here since rising is going to slow us down."

Hakuba looked at me like I'd asked him to eat mud. "What's going on? Why do I need to dive?" Another bulleted nicked the glider but not enough to bring it to the detective's attention. A little hole was the only testament that it had been there.

"If you don't dive now we're going to resemble Swiss cheese before we make it home."

That convinced him

"Is someone shooting at us?"

"Nope, me." I laughed at him, "but I don't think they'd care if they hit you."


	9. Enemy of Mine Enemy

Sorry if this chapter is a little short... I wanted to stop it at a a certain point and I couldn't embellish it anymore.  
and I've been getting less reviews :( it sad...

OH! And I still don't have my spellchecker (grammar checker to be precise) since she is still busy doing whatever

I'm also going to be bringing in some more characters since I was thinking about it and decided that even with Kid, Saguru has no chance of taking on a group of professionals (of course I can't say anymore) without help. Jii and Kaito would make a big difference but it seemed a bit unlikely that they would succeed.  
So, more characters (DC characters ARE ALSO NOT MINE! I don't think I ever put that... I think I only praised Gosho for Magic Kaito. WELL HERE'S MORE PRAISE!)

Oh, I have no idea how much stuff costs (there is some purchasing) It's an estimate and I'm sorry if it's off. I used an on-lineconverted to get Yen and I'm not sure if how much people in Japan charge for certain things so I WILL be off. I'm also not to familiar with places or Yokohama (where this is taking place) so sorry if I got the scenery wrong

Please review...even little ones are nice... :)

* * *

_**Chapter 9: Enemy of Mine Enemy**_

I had to give it to Hakuba, he was brave. When he understood the danger we were in, he sent the glider into a steep dive. We picked up the necessary speed quickly, allowing us to get away faster but also putting us closer to the shooters.

When we were about even with the buildings a bullet hit him somewhere in the back and he winced, making the glider tremble.

"Did it hit you bad?" I still had a few toys in my coat but nothing I could use on the shooters from this far away.

"No, it grazed me." He took control of the gilder again and a few more bullets tore at the white material, missing the frame. The glider was built for maneuverability and flight; I didn't think the frame could stand up to a shot even if it only snagged the frame.

A few nicked my legs but nothing deep, it wasn't even a graze, just a few light brushes of pain that only left scratches. After a few minutes Hakuba raised the nose and our decent left us only fifteen feet from the ground. He was going through trial-by-fire and pulling off spectacularly, I only wished I could have looked so good the first time I tried to fly.

There was a screech of tires and I swore to myself.

"Hakuba-kun you have to land. Any roof will do but don't put us on the ground."

"A roof? You do realize we're in the city and still miles from the suburbs. There aren't any roof-tops this low."

I searched around our immediate area. Staying in the sky, even though Hakuba's outfit blocked most the glider, would make us an obvious target. His outfit was probably what had kept us alive so far and why most of the bullets had hit me.

A convenience store a few feet ahead made a promising hideout. "Dip the nose low when you reach the store, when you're a few feet off the ground, retract it, and we should be able to land."

"Kuroba-kun I think you're forgetting something again."

"What?"

"We're tied together. If I retract the glider before you get off we're going to fall on top of one another."

I laughed out loud at the picture in my head. "I guess you're right. When you get close I'll get off myself. You have to be careful because without my weight the gilder will rise, so force the nose lower."

We were almost at the store and I unhooked my belt, Hakuba grabbed hold of my good arm and I let go of everything else. I nearly fell because we were both still wearing gloves and they made bad handholds.

"Kuroba-kun I can't hold you very long, it really hurts." I winced for him, I'd forgotten he's hands were still burned.

"Just decline a little more and I can jump." We were still ten feet off the ground which I could have tolerated but if I got off now the speed would throw me off my feet and I'd wind up hitting my head on the pavement.

The tires were closer, still screeching as they turned to corners way to fast. We were down to a little less than eight feet. Close enough.

"Hakuba-kun you need to hurry and get down. Fly a little longer before you close it." I let go of his arm without waiting for acknowledgment. The jump wasn't that bad; I tripped over my own feet but regained my equilibrium before I impacted with anything.

Hakuba was still going and passed the store because he couldn't get it low enough to drop. I saw a bullet just miss his head, startling a reaction out of him. Not taking any more chances he closed the glider and I took out my card gun, seeing if whoever shot at him was close enough for me to target.

The detective wasn't as lucky as me. He landed badly on one foot, tumbling forward and hitting his shoulder against a brick building.

"Hak-" Wait, using names was a bad idea especially if I was about to shout it down the street… "Hey idiot, get over here quickly!" _That would work._

"Who are you calling an idiot." The detective was panting from the short run to me but didn't look like he'd hurt himself.

"Forget it." I peeked inside to look for cameras. There was only one and it was trained near the register and door; I took aim and hit it to the side with the card gun. I aimed another card at the back of the register where a young clerk in their early twenties with beached hair was looking bored.

After firing, the motion and noise from the card caught his attention and I shot in with Hakuba. "I have to use your bathroom!" I yelled to the guy while his back was still turned, getting in and closing the door before he could catch sight of us.

"Here Hakuba-kun put this on." I handed him a plain blue shirt. "Keep the pants on, I don't know if my other spare will fit you." I took out an outfit from myself, mine being a light green shirt and dark grey pants.

"Don't put anything on yet." Hakuba told me, picking up my blue shirt I'd just discarded. "You're bleeding all over the place and there's no way that it's going to go unnoticed."

I looked down at my not-so-white outfit. My shoulder and a lot of my right side were completely covered in blood along with a few spots where the other bullets had scraped me. A quick look in the mirror showed a nasty amount of blood covering my right ear and running down my neck, though the actual wound was hidden in my dark hair.

"Do you need this…never mind." Hakuba started ripping my blue shirt into strips and wrapped it around my head. What was left over of the shirt he used to wipe off my face and neck with and threw it in the garbage.

"I feel sorry if someone finds that." I commented.

"I'm too busy feeling sorry for us."

I laughed "I guess you're right." I got the light shirt over my head without staining it and found the European cap that Hakuba had worn earlier to cover the most of the dressing, giving me a delinquent look. I took another shirt I had, _I tended to change clothes often,_ out of one of the larger pockets of my coat where I kept my disguises. I cut this one up and turned to Hakuba.

"Here, let me wrap up your back too so that it doesn't bleed through the shirt." It took him a second to take off his shirt. The wound was bad. It was deep in places and would need stitches near his shoulder blades. Including where it had shallowly gotten him, the cut was easily ten inches long.

After the large slashes we both had were wrapped up, I did the little cuts that were on my arm and legs. Once that was done with and we were both dressed, I opened the door casually and waved to the cashier, hiding our remaining clothes in a small bag.

"Sorry about that man, we really needed to use you're restroom." I made sure my tone of voice held different inflections than my own and was pitched slightly higher.

"Together?" He looked confused and a little disgusted at us.

"No, no, nothing like that. My friend here just lost a bet to me and had to eat a ton of salt. He ran to your bathroom to wash his mouth out and I was laughing at him. You've got to take all the fun you can get with this guy." Hakuba gave me a dark stare that only helped the story.

"That's why I'm not a betting man," The cashier responded and went to leaning against the counter. "Is there anything else you wanted?"

I wasn't going to leave the store with Hakuba while those people were still out there, whether they were Snake and his group or some other assassin. "Yeah, we're waiting for a friend and I'm a bit hungry. " I picked up a chocolate bar and placed it on the counter. "You want anything?"

"Let me look around." Hakuba was stalling too, _good_.

"I'll see what else is here too." We both walked away from the counter towards the back of the store.

"So now there are people trying to kill you as well." The detective said it so nonchalantly that I wasn't sure what was bothering him, besides the fact that we'd almost been knocked off.

"No."

He looked at me but I didn't explain.

"Kuroba-kun I don't speak your language, you know. I need more information than that." He wouldn't remove his eyes from mine.

"They've been after me for a while, it's nothing new." I opened the fridge and pulled out a sugar-loaded fruit juice, pretending it didn't bother me. Hakuba didn't look relieved.

"How long have people been after your life?"

Silence.

"Kuroba-kun…"

"It's been a few months," I admitted. I was a little surprised that he didn't know. Inspector Nakamori had come close to Snake once now and indirectly a few times. There must not have been enough evidence to connect all the incidents that involved guns to place it on one person or group.

"How much is a few?"

I sighed. "I don't know, six?" I brushed it off again to get him to leave it alone.

Hakuba looked downward at nothing in particular and you could tell he was thinking about something.

"Drop it." The command snapped him out of his trance. I had made my voice lower and scarier then I had meant to and I saw confusion and fear playing around in his eyes when he looked up.

"Let me guess, you're protecting me and I shouldn't take it further."

I nodded and went back to the counter with the juice. I saw Hakuba grab a small bag of pretzels on the way.

My smile was strained when I greeted the man.

"Is that all you want?"

I nodded and he rang us up.

"That will be 463 yen." I counted the money out of a small wallet I kept for heists incase I needed some cash. Of course there was no ID or anything in this one. "Thanks." The man gave us our stuff and I dug out the chocolate bar, eating it instead of waiting until we'd left.

"Are we still going to wait for Nazumi-chan?" I asked Hakuba carelessly, throwing out whatever name came to my head.

"I think we should or she'd kill us. You know how that girl can get," he played along. I smiled, thinking about Aoko.

"Yeah, but you know what they say, tough on the outside and sweet on the inside." I took the juice out and drank a sip before putting it back in the bag. "You know what, I need something else."

I left them both at the register and went down an aisle, out of the way of the snacks, and put a hand to my head as I grabbed some pain relievers.

I took them back to the counter and gave Hakuba an annoyed look "It seem like I've had a headache everyday recently." After taking two of the pills I offered them to him with my drink. "Need some?"

"Thank you." He took both and handed them back to me. "Do you know how much sugar's in that?"

"Of course, I only wish they didn't include the juice." We both laughed in time for a man in a dusty brown suit to run in.

"Have you seen anybody run in here?" He had a large nose and close set eyes of some dark color. His hair was black and slicked back.

"Just these guys." The clerk pointed to us.

I waved to the man "Hey what's up? Who are you looking for?"

His eyes went over us for a few silent moments and I let my smile falter purposely so it didn't look like I was hiding something. Satisfied the guy and two teenagers in front of him weren't who he was looking for, the man left the store. "Never mind."

My luck must have really been running on empty because Snake himself pushed past the big nosed goon and strode up to us. He grabbed me up by the front of the shirt like I was a ragdoll.

"What are you doing? Let me go." I fought him off weakly, not really trying to get out of his grip because I was afraid I'd make him mad. In the position I was in I didn't think it would be a smart move.

He eyed me, looking for anything recognizable. Finding nothing he threw me roughly against the counter, hitting my bad shoulder sharply. I lay limply on the floor and breathed through my teeth, trying not to show how much he had hurt me.

"Hey, you can't just go picking fights with people." Hakuba chose his words well, I would have believed we were two teenagers just visiting a local store if I didn't know better.

Snake grabbed Hakuba as well, not lifting him off the ground as he had me. They both eyed each other and you could see the defiance in the detective's stance. Dark hair and blue eyes matched mine so well that I was afraid for a minute. I had gotten most of my dominate features from my father and now Hakuba shared them with me as well thanks to cosmetics. If Snake saw the resemblance he'd kill him.

Someone must have been decided that we'd come across too much bad luck and offered us a bit of restitution. The man behind the counter spoke up for the first time.

"Hey, knock it off. These kids are just here waiting for a friend of theirs. They didn't do anything to you." Ah_, if you can fool your friends, you can fool your enemies._ Snake released Hakuba with a shove and both he and his accomplice left the store.

Hakuba stared after them for a bit and I couldn't see the cashier's reaction over the counter. When they were safely gone Hakuba bent down to my level.

"Are you okay Kuroba-kun?"

I moved off the wall and most of my chest and back shot pain through my body. "Ouch, nope, I'm not okay. He hurt my back." I could see as a blood stain was making itself known bellow my collarbone in the front as well, most likely from him grabbing me. "I think I'm going to need more pain killers."

Hakuba sighed and helped me up. I cringed at every little motion we made leaving the store, bearing my teeth against the pain. When we were out, he slung my good arm around his neck.

"I'd put you on my back if I could but…" Hakuba sighed after making sure my arm was high enough that it wouldn't be hitting his wound. "We'll have to walk the rest of the way unless you have a better idea."

"We'd never make it back." If we walked home it would take hours to get to my house, even longer to Hakuba's, and I couldn't make that. Jii and mom didn't own cars since both lived so close to where they worked. Hakuba's housekeeper wouldn't fail to notice how injured we both were and she seemed like the protective type. The only person I knew who owned a car was Inspector Nakamori and I didn't feel like getting the cops involved. "I don't have any open options, do you?"

The detective shook his head. "Baaya's the only one I know who drives and I've yet to make older friends in Japan who would have access to a vehicle."

An idea came to me but I pushed it away before it could flourish. "There's no way we can get back on the gilder is there?" He rolled his eyes this time and didn't answer.

There had to be an option out there that I wasn't seeing besides the one I didn't want to rely on. We were both standing on the sidewalk in the cold air, trying to think of something. After ten minutes it was clear neither of us had any alternative.

"Damn it" I let go of Hakuba. "Do you have your phone on you?"

"Sure." He dug it out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Do you have someone you can call?"

"I'm not sure, they're not a friend." I flipped the phone open and dialed one of the numbers I had myself memorize, this one was one of the most challenging to get and had taken me weeks along with a personal trip to steal it.

The phone rang for a while before going to voicemail. I hung up and looked over at Hakuba. "What time is it?"

He took out his golden watch that matched his natural hair color and examined it in the dull light that surrounded us. "It's almost two in the morning."

"Damn" I swore again. I hit redial to try again. It was ringing so it wasn't turned off and I had to get through. I knew the only things Hakuba had brought along were his phone and watch though he may have had his notebook as well, and I didn't have enough money for a hotel.

There was still no answer and I tried one last time, hoping that our receding bad luck would back off; detectives always seemed to bring the weirdest karma around with them.

A tired voice answered me as I was about to hang up.

"Hello? Who's this?"

"I apologize for the hour but I've gotten myself into a rather bad situation and need a ride. Is there any way I could persuade you to pick me up?" I added to the timbre of my voice so it sounded slightly different then my own, the voice I used as Kid.

The receiver went quiet as the person on the other line kicked their brain into action.

"Where are you?"

"I'm just passed Yokohama, near…" I looked around and noticed I had no idea how far we'd gone on the glider, I glanced over at Hakuba.

"We're a mile north of Yokohama's Chinatown." He answered and sat down against the wall. I repeated what he said into the phone and sat beside him, hoping that we were going to get the ride.

"Who's with you?" They must have heard Hakuba's voice over the phone.

"Tantei-san is here as well and he's in a bit of trouble too. We would both appreciate the lift." I could already feel myself falling asleep. I leaned against the wall, using it to cool my injuries.

"I'll see what I can do." I could hear as he open and closed a door accompanied by the sound of wind dying.

"Thank you Kudo-kun. I'll be sure to return the favor."

He scoffed at me, "I'm not doing it for you."

"Of course not, forgive me." I heard the click as he hung up. I handed the phone back to Hakuba.

"Is Kudo-kun coming?"

I shook my head. "No but he said he'd try to get someone else to pick us up." I should have known better than using his name so openly but my mind wasn't working too well after its run in with the bullet.

I let my head fall against my knees. Hakuba took the cape from my bag and threw it around my shoulders, wrapping the black one around himself to keep away the chill of winter. I should have brought long-sleeved shirts but they were harder to carry.

"Kuroba-kun, if someone's coming to get us should you really stay looking… more like yourself than Kaitou Kid?"

I looked down at my normal clothing and felt my real hair brushing my neck under the small cap. The blue shirt tied around my head hid most of my hairstyle but the t-shirt and pants showed off my body type.

"It'll have to be good enough." I wrapped the cape tighter around me. Kudo already knew that I was young though I never asked him when he'd figured it out. I had some temporary hair dye and a wig but both would irritate the bullet wound and I didn't want to deal with more pain.

I let my eyes close and figured I'd worry about everything that could be put off until later and hope it didn't bite me in the butt.

…

Hakuba elbowed me what felt like seconds later and handed me his phone. It was open and the light blinded me as I took it in my hand.

"Hello" my voice still spoke of sleep but I kept the inflection. "What do you need?"

"I called to say we're near the Chinatown and was I hoping to get directions. I don't have a built in radar." I took the phone away from my ear for a second to look at the time and couldn't believe it was a little after two-thirty, I'd fallen asleep for half-an-hour.

"Sure thing Tantei-kun, what street are you on right now?" for the next five minutes I was guiding them over the phone to our position, now that I knew what our position was.

I felt comforted when the prominent yellow Beetle stopped across the street.

"Let's go Hakuba-kun." He put the black cape away and held onto the bag for me.

I slid into the seat behind the Professor so that the little detective wouldn't be nervous having me behind him. Hakuba got in and both occupants turned to look at us.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?" Tantei-kun started. His eyes were on me and I pulled the cap lower in a fruitless attempt to hide my eyes.

"Can it wait until another time? I'm not in the mood for a conversation right now." My smile was small and my eyes were closing. "I repay my favors."

Kudo continued to look at me, eyes scanning me better than any machine could have. He let his glace travel to Hakuba and took in the detective and his new look.

"I've been missing something."

"Nothing too important, the world always has problems. If it didn't you'd be out of a job." I rested my forehead against the window and seat, seeing my breath fog it up as I breathed out. "Sometimes it's good to be left out."

My eyes closed and I doubted myself for a second for trusting yet another detective with my identity. I was too tried to scrutinize the situation and fell asleep. I could have sworn the Kudo asked me something else but I didn't catch it

A few words did enter my sleep deprived brain.

"_They both look so exhausted Shinichi-kun. I wonder what's happening."_

"_I don't know and I hate it when I don't know something. I'm going to make a few phone calls tomorrow and I want to use your computer when we get back to see what I can dig up."_

"_Shinichi-kun I don't understand something, why is the detective with the thief?"_

"_I don't know Hakase... I'm sure there's a good reason for it, I know Hakuba-kun well enough and he doesn't stand for anything illegal. If he's working with Kid he's desperate."_

"_Is that really the Kid?... He looks so young."_

"_Yeah, he is. Did you see the blood?"_

"_Blood?"_

"_They both have blood on them, though the Kid looks like he may be hurt badly."_

"_What are we going to do with them now?"_

…

I would have really like to catch what they said after that but my subconscious stopped playing the live feed and I fell into a dreamless sleep.


	10. Troubled Waters

Wow KSA Key-chan... you read my mind :) And Mysteryfan17 your reviews really are the best, thank you so much.

Sorry that nothing to 'exsiting' happens in this chapter but I have to lead up to it right?  
I'm also still a little sketchy on Professor Agasa's house so if one room isn't in the same room as the other, oops.  
I also have NO NON-FAVORITE DC/MK characters (the males at least) So I'm not dissing ANY of them. THEY'RE ALL AWESOME!

Whenever I say "the detective" as Kaito it is ALWAYS Hakuba unless I say 'small' (Conan) or 'dark' (Hattori) or use some other description word _with _it.

Thanks for people reviewing again... It just makes writing the story easier. I also DO NOT have my grammar checker anymore *poof*  
(She's still here but not helping because she's 'busy') Well I'm busy too :( You know how hard it is to walk to the library everyday because I couldn't fix my computer unless I wanted to dish out a whole lot of money, and then I have a time limit, and I'm a slow typer, and my ipod just broke so I'm walking in silence *weep* I wish the library was closer...  
And there's so much constrution! Grrrr... Ok, sorry for ranting... READ ON!

* * *

_**Chapter 10: Troubled Waters**_

When I opened my eyes I was staring at a tall white ceiling that I didn't recognize. The sun had lightened the whole room through large windows and there was the sound of someone typing on a keyboard nearby.

My body hurt too much to follow my instincts to jump up, a bit cat-like, and scan the room. I settled on raising myself on one elbow enough to get my feet on the ground and sit up. The memories of last night were still with me, gunfire prominent in my mind.

"You should get more sleep Kid, it's seven in the morning and you've slept little more than four hours." Kudo was standing next to the professor who was doing something on his computer. The old man turned to face me as well.

"I'm not tired." I smiled and stretched the parts of my body that I could. I looked to my left and found Hakuba in an identical bed, sleeping soundly.

"Hakuba-kun should be fine but that injury of yours is serious. You ripped the stitches on your back and just a few on your chest. The professor doesn't have any professional medical supplies so all we could do was clean and bandage it." I looked down to a rather comfortable button up white shirt and saw the clean dressing.

"We would have dressed your head wound but Shinichi-kun said you wouldn't like that" the professor chipped in. Again I felt my head to find it still covered by the blue shirt, and the small cap that I was amazed to find, had stayed on through the night. I could feel the hard crust of blood that sealed the shirt to my scalp.

"I appreciate the help Tantei-kun, Hakase-san." I nodded to them, Kudo giving me serious expression.

"So what happened last night and…" He trailed off, trying to find the right words. "Why would a detective that's made it his goal to catch you suddenly be comfortably standing at your side? And the hair? I couldn't tell it was Hakuba-kun until you spoke to me in the car, elimination and all."

"I'm sorry Tantei-kun but I can only tell you my own secrets, I can't reveal his. If Hakuba-san wants to explain it he may." I'd almost called him Hakuba-kun; I had to get out of that habit. "As for what happened last night, there was a fake noticed sent to the police and I had to rectify it. On my way back we were both caught up in a bad situation with some undesirables."

"What about the fact that the diamond was still stolen by you?"

"I had to take it in order to give it back." I smiled wide "It's just that simple."

Kudo contemplated my statement. I could see him trying to analyze everything that I'd said and see what conclusions he could get out of it.

He looked up "Last night it was reported that Kid had an accomplice for the first time in the public eye" he shot a look at the detective "That wouldn't have happened to be him would it?"

"Now why would the detective trying to catch me want to help me?" I smiled. "Sometimes you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Kudo made a little motion that would have been a shudder if he'd allowed himself to. It was my turn to watch him.

"So Tantei-kun, it seems I owe you a bit more than I'd intended, do you need to call in any of my favors?"

"You helped me and Hattori a few months ago during our investigation and that same day when you saved us on the roller coaster, without reasonable cause, so I don't feel you owe me anything."

"I helped myself Tantei-kun, without you I wouldn't have been able to figure out what had been going on and why they were so determined to kill me. It was making my heists more dangerous than they should have been."

"You've helped me plenty of other times as well, including when we went camping recently. You saved me from that fire as well when we were after the egg. If you feel like you owe me a favor, it's your feeling, I don't share it." He crossed him arms and came across just as threatening as my mom.

I shook my head "Fine, do you need something from me? I can offer you almost anything except for information retaining to me."

"No," He started to turn away from me "I don't help people for something in return; I do it because they need the assistance, it's only you that feels you owe me."

I looked down and at Hakuba once more. "Fine Kudo-kun, if you believe that way, can I ask for one more thing?"

He eyed me from behind his glasses before returning to watch the professor work. "I don't know, what is it you want? I'm not even sure picking you up last night and letting you have control of the situation right now is a good."

I grabbed the bag from next to Hakuba where they must have placed it after bringing him in. "Here" I threw the diamond to Kudo after wrapping it in a piece of cloth. It took me a few seconds to find the card but it turned up, I took it between my fingers and threw it to him as well. "The diamond belongs to a woman, any information you need you can get from her. The bank as good as stole it from her and she needs the help. Legal work isn't my thing and I've got my hands tied with something else at the moment so I was hoping you could assist her."

"And why not the police?" he read the card information before handing it to the professor.

"I'd prefer it if you saw to it personally, I promised the woman my help and if I can't follow through, I'd like her to have someone more promising who'd be able to accomplish it."

"I'm not big in this area either but I know someone who is, and you already knew that didn't you?"

I laughed to myself and shook my head.

"No Tantei-kun, I knew but I wasn't thinking about it with everything else that's been on my mind. Eri-obasan should be able to handle it."

I was trying to do some mental math to figure out what time it was. It was around two-thirty when we were picked up and Tantei-kun said that I'd gotten more than four hours which would put it around close to seven in the morning. Wait, he'd already told me it was seven.

Oh Kami, I forgot about mom.

Kudo raised his eyebrows and watched me when he saw the sudden change in my demeanor. I looked over at Hakuba and made my way to his bed.

I felt lightheaded for a moment before I could trust my footing and knelt near his blanket, searching his pockets. I had been sure that I'd returned his phone last night after I borrowed it.

Sure enough I came across it. The phone just _had_ to be in the pocket _further_away from me. I use my good arm to lower myself and lean on the detective with my side while I retrieved it. Kudo must have found it quite amusing.

My eyes were closing after I'd gotten the phone. I was still tired, even if I could lie to Kudo I couldn't lie to own body. I wanted desperately to get under the covers and go back to sleep. I sighed as I thought about everything I still had to do. A yawn and shiver ran through my body because of the early morning chill the house had.

"Why didn't you just ask for my phone?" Kudo questioned me when I returned to my own temporary bed. I had a very good reason for using Hakuba's; the detective wouldn't trace the call back to my mom as proof for the police, where as Kudo easily could with a clean conscience.

"I like his, you have to admit it's a design is flawless." The lie escaped me easily but it was unlikely to fool him. Kudo had known me for a while now and knew I didn't do things without purpose… most of the time. For Hakuba's part, he did have a cool phone. It was a flip with a golden shined case and the buttons also lit up yellow, which suited him perfectly.

I dialed mom's number and was surprised when no one picked up. I hung up and tried again when Jii's tired voice cut in.

"Young master, what happened?" The old man's worry came across clear.

"Nothing," I tried to reassure him, my own voice taking on the slowness of sleep "we were" a glance at Kudo reminded me to mask my words "detained by a few unwanted interventions. Both of us are fine but we may not be back for a while."

"Are you hurt? Where are you now?" I laughed and blinked my eyes open.

"I'm not that much more hurt than I already was, though I think Hakuba-kun may need some stitches. As for where I am, I'm visiting another detective who has been kind enough to let me stay the night."

"You're with another detective?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it for now. Nothing's going to happen this time."

"Young master you really need to get some new acquaintances" again the exasperation was heard in his voice. "You insist on hanging out with the Inspector and his daughter, recently you haven't let the young detective leave your side, and now there's another one who you're with? You can't let an old man rest can you?"

"Putting it that way makes me sound like some kind of idiot."

Kudo smiled his sentiments to Jii over the phone and I rolled my eyes at the both of them. "I like my friends." He went silent.

"Is that how you think of them?"

I couldn't answer him right away. Of all the people I've lie to Jii was the only one I could confess anything. Hakuba and Kudo had always been rivals, and it was fun playing with them but that didn't mean that was where I cut them off. I looked at Kudo and he met my eyes with a puzzled glance. Hakuba couldn't look back at me so I watched him the longest. I had to phrase the question differently to myself in order to answer it, _'If I wasn't a thief would I help either of them?_'

"Of course."

"Young master, you shouldn't trust them so quickly. Detectives make it their job to not only discover things but to deceive. They could betray you."

I frowned at the phone, "Where would I be if I came to believe the whole world was against me? I wouldn't be alive now if I thought the way you did."

Jii's tone was significantly happier when he spoke again. "I'm glad you see it that way young master, you've never had many friends and what kind of guardian would I be if I didn't commend you for it. Just try and keep the next ones on your side."

"They are on my side" I couldn't fight with him on the matter though, since I didn't believe either of them was on my side. They were just there because I had helped them and I was hurt. Detectives have some weird habit of trying to help anything that moves, even if the recipient doesn't want it.

"I hope so. You have always been a good judge of character so I'll stop interfering. Your mother is sleeping at the moment but she'll want to see you when you return."

"I know, I'll see you then." I hung up just as Hakuba began to stir. I didn't want to wake the detective. One night's good sleep was not enough to make up for what he'd been through so I made sure to close the phone slowly so it wouldn't snap and wake him anymore. Kudo seemed to catch onto my behavior and kept to himself.

Keeping still and quite with nothing to focus on was difficult. I was still very tired and the beds temptation didn't hang over me for long before I gave in, not bothering to put the covers over me. It was cold but I didn't feel like hurting myself to get warmer.

…

I woke up little more than an hour later. Hakase-san and Tantei-kun weren't in the room so I took the time to take stock of my injuries. I had to do something about my head because the shirt pulled on the dried on blood whenever I moved. I found the professor's bathroom in the back and the bandages were under the sink.

"Of course the guy would need bandages," I muttered to myself as I got them out. There was also some rubbing alcohol that I found in the back as well.

I made sure the door was locked before taking off the cap, even I had no idea how it managed to stay on even while I was sleeping not only when they brought me in but when I clumsily slept the second time with no thoughts of it. I'm so good I scare myself.

The shirt wasn't as easy to remove. The blood had dried the cloth onto my hair like superglue and I wasn't going to be cutting my hair. I did cut the shirt a bit so that I could wash my head under the sink to try and loosen up the rest.

The water hurt and I had to grab the counter top and grit my teeth to stop myself from turning it off. After a while of rinsing, the shirt came away and I was able to put some cloth on the long cut. It reached from just above my right eye and in front of my hairline to end about three inches further in, just above the tip my ear. It was already bleeding again when I'd finished.

Kudo's bandaging on the rest of my body looked good so I put away the rest of the unused bandages and the alcohol. I didn't use the alcohol because my head hurt enough as it was without burning it. I grabbed some pain relievers out of the medicine cabinet and swallowed them with water I got from cupping in my hands under the sink.

I brought the bag in and debated about a change of clothes. I was in Kudo's white shirt which fit me great but the grey pants didn't match too well. I sighed and forgot about appearances for a moment as I looked at my self in the mirror.

There was no hiding who I was. Kudo had gotten a good look at my face even with the cap and because of the bleeding he knew how my body looked and where my wounds would be. If he wanted, the detective could find me.

The thought was sobering and I could only trust that he wouldn't have need or want to search me out. _Ha, fat chance_.

Hakuba was gone when I came back and I hoped I wasn't the one who woke him. Neither of us had slept long enough and it didn't look like that would be changing anytime soon.

Everyone was standing over Professor Agasa in another room, watching as he meddled with something that looked fruitlike; it even had something resembling juice coming out the sides, where two holes had been drilled into it. The bulbous red thing pulsed, making me back up. It must not have been made out of plastic like it looked or it couldn't have moved in that manner.

"Its motion isn't fluid; in the end you'll waste the produce if you can't level out the rigidity to match the product." Hakuba's criticisms went over my head as the professor opened the not-so-plastic-fruit-like-thingy to reveal a half squished lemon.

"I know but if I change it now it won't have enough power for the carrots." The professor scratched his head.

"I see how you wanted to use it on towels too but it makes it too difficult for the machine." Hakuba lifted the lid and looked at a bunch of moving pistons.

"But just think of it! You're washing dishes or cleaning the counter and your towel gets soaked! Well you can use this machine not only as a juicer but to squeeze the water out of your wet towels as well!"

"I know the idea isn't that bad but it'll be difficult to get it to work." The detective took a screwdriver and adjusted something on a few of the pistons. I made my way behind him to watch what he was doing.

He must not have seen me because when he straightened up, he jumped.

"Kuroba-kun, are you trying to scare the hell out of me!" The minute the words left his mouth I saw his face whiten. I stiffened but tried to get myself to relax.

"It's fine." It most certainly wasn't fine. I could see Kudo watching me from a bar stool. I couldn't get my body to ease up and I told myself over and over that he would have figured it out anyway.

Hakuba was still looking at me remorsefully. He looked over at the other two before returning his gaze to me. "I didn't mean to."

"It doesn't matter." I smiled. If things continued like they were, I figured there was worse that could happen.

"So you have a name" Kudo smiled but not in the way he usually did. "It's a good thing I never worried about who you were or I'd be tempted to use it. The only thing I care about is stopping something bad from happening, especially in front of me."

"Thanks Tantei-kun. I'll make sure that nothing bad happens around you when I'm there then."

He blew me off "You try but it's not like you can stop everything. I would like it if you didn't act on instinct like Hakuba-kun and shout out anything you shouldn't"

"I wouldn't use something like that against you." I spat out. It became clear to me in those few seconds that he thought that even if he did use my name that I'd use his against him. "I don't do things like that, even if you caught me."

Like I said, sincerity throws people off. Kudo must have been expecting me to agree to his less-then-obvious deal because his eyes narrowed and he watched me.

"So if I called the cops right now and gave you to them, name, blood, prints and all; you wouldn't say anything about…" he trailed off purposely so Hakuba wouldn't know what he was talking about.

"No I wouldn't say anything. I can't say I'd stick around though."

Kudo smiled and leaned back. "Then I feel the same as you. Why should I say anything about you when I haven't seen you do anything wrong? I mean, you steal, that's undeniable, but you return what you take. Even now I sure you're doing something that would help someone more then it would hurt them. I have no reason to turn you in."

The professor and Hakuba watched the conversation between the two of us. Hakuba was relieved, which told a lot how much he thought of Kudo, even as Conan, but Professor Agasa looked unsure.

"I'm not so sure about this. It's not like I'm going to turn you in myself or anything" He raised his arms in a show of harmlessness "but you are breaking the law."

"Don't worry, I won't blame you if you decide to go to the police. If you think I'm that much of a threat then I'll understand. I can't say I'll be cooperative but I'll understand." The old man had no qualms with me so I didn't think I'd bother him and if I ever did something that I couldn't live with then I'd be happy if he did turn me in.

"It seems like everyone's holding your future over your head." Hakuba looked at me with a serious expression. "I never felt as if I was using someone so much."

"You're not. I'm the one who barged in on you if you don't remember."

"Yes, trust me I won't forget that, but I've been using so much against you. I know so much that I can still use…"

"What have you used against me? I think it's been pretty fair so far."

"Your conscience."

"Huh?"

Hakuba looked at me like I was some sort of idiot.

"You're too… compassionate. I knew that and I still told you what was going on. I left you with no other choice then to help me once you knew I needed it."

"One, I still dislike you," it got me mad when he tried to hit on Aoko when I was and wasn't around. "And two, I'm Kid. You couldn't make me do anything if you tried."

Our little argument wasn't going unnoticed. Kudo was taking in every word we were saying to try and fit the pieces together. I sighed when I caught sight of him.

"How much have you figured out?"

"Not much." He let his eyes focus on the desk in front of him. "Hakuba-kun is in some sort of danger and you're helping him. Because of this Hakuba-kun found out who you are, or already knew, and now has even more evidence against you. Whatever you had been helping him with got caught up in the heist last night where you decided to take the gem for this woman." He flashed the card I had handed to him out of his pocket. "I'm still unclear whether Hakuba-kun was with you but I'm betting he was. After that, because it wasn't shown on the news, someone tried to shoot you. Both of you obviously got away and are with me right now, fighting over morals."

"Wow, and that's your idea of 'not much'?" I laughed darkly. "I'd hate to see when you figure something out."

"I still don't know what danger he's in, who was shooting at you, why they were doing it, how come Hakuba-kun repaid the favor and helped you, how you got away, and a few other details that I would like sorted out."

"Sorry" I held up my hand. "I think you know as much as you're going to. I just need you to help the woman."

"Sure Kuroba-kun," I couldn't help wincing when he said my name. "I'll make certain that gets done, afterwards I would like some answers."

My smile was sad and Hakuba shook his head. "I'm sorry Tantei-kun but you won't be getting them. If our little problem gets to the police you'll know but I can't give you any of the information you really want."

"I can testify to that." Hakuba gave me a dark look and I pushed him.

"Has it inconvenienced you that much? There are some things out there that you just can't tell others."

I don't know why but Kudo understood that more than he had my earlier convictions. I thought it was because he was hiding his little secret from everyone but that didn't make any sense. I knew there must have been some reason why he didn't tell anyone, or some reason that Ran didn't know, but I hadn't taken the time to dig into it.

And I wouldn't.

If Kudo was going to let me be I'd share the sentiment.

"I'm not too sure about this Conan-kun." Unless you were listening you couldn't hear the stutter in Agasa's voice when he spoke.

"He hasn't done anything and I have the gem." Kudo watched me until I met his eyes. "That doesn't mean I won't try and catch you when we cross paths in the future."

"I wouldn't want it any other way Conan-kun." Unlike the professor, my langue was more natural and there was no hesitation. I'd prefer not to call him by name since neither really seemed to fit him, but it showed that I wasn't sloppy.

"I'm actually a little surprised. The similarities are uncanny." Kudo looked up at me with open curiosity. "Can you remove the hat?"

I laughed. "Sure but our hair's different and the bandages make it even more so." I took the cap off and examined it before putting it on Hakuba's head. "Sorry about taking your hat."

"Did you get blood on it?" Hakuba took it off his head quickly. _The neat freak, even if I had it would have been dry_.

"Don't worry about it. I checked didn't I?"

He _hmpht_ at me before putting it back on his head.

Kudo in the mean time took his chair over to me before standing on it and attempting to flatten my hair.

"Do you really look like that or is it some disguise still?"

"Nope all me. I don't even have hair dye."

"Scary."

"Yeah but it makes getting by you easier." He frowned at me and I just laughed. "I won't do it unless I have to."

"Don't"

"What are you two talking about?" Hakuba held the side of his head, feeling the strange texture of his newly un-styled hair.

"Nothing of consequence." A motion caught my eye and a few things happened simultaneously. Hakuba lost the hat I'd just returned, the sound of a door being opened reached everyone's ears, and I disappeared.

"Hey Kudo, I came to see what ya've been up to!" A dark skinned boy entered the room just as I left, catching only a glimpse of me. The other three looked startled at my sudden disappeance, apparently not even seeing me move.

"Well I don't know what you were talking about, but _that_ was scary."

"Yes. Make sure you don't hurt yourself by taking off so fast… You know I have no idea what I should be calling you with someone else in the room." Kudo spoke clearly in my direction. The first room closest to me was the basement and I'd hid behind the corner of the staircase.

"Just give me a second, I don't want all you detectives in on my life, now do I?" I had the hat again but it didn't do much and the slight change in my voice was my only protection. I'd made sure to keep the bag with me since you could never be too careful. There were some things in there that would be I could use.

"You know what Conan-kun, I'm a little short handed at the moment. Can this be one of those times I mentioned when I need to do it?"

"What's goin' on? Who's in there?" Hattori's heavily accented voice echoed around Professor Agasa's large room. "Who're you?" I could hear as his voice shifted direction away from me, not aiming his question at me.

I could just see the smug look on Hakuba's face as he toyed with the Osakan detective, though I couldn't see what he was doing. All I knew was he didn't answer him.

"Sure." I heard Kudo sigh. "I can't think of anything better at the moment but if anyone else comes randomly barging in like an idiot," I knew he shot a glare at Hattori "you're going to need to hide again."

"Thanks Conan-kun!" I took the hat off and prepared my hair to look like his. The shirt was already Kudo's which made it all the better. I really needed to find a new pair of pants since my gray ones still had cuts and blood stains on them.

"What's goin' on?" Hattori demanded

"Hey Conan-kun, can I borrow the voice too?"

"Sure." He sighed again, "It didn't seem that much different than how you were talking to me anyway."

"No they're pretty close." I spoke in Kudo's voice, just slightly lighter on the inflections than my own and more formal sounding. There was a difference but only if you knew us both or had good ears.

Needless to say Hattori was very confused and Hakuba was joining in on the party. The detective didn't know about Kudo and the Osakan one didn't know about me which meant we'd be running circles around each other for a while.

I left the room looking like Kudo; the difference a hair style makes is impressive since you really couldn't tell it was me even with the bandages. I hated using gel but I had no other way to keep my hair from sticking back up and wearing a wig for that reason was pointless.

"That's what I thought was scary." Kudo mumbled to Hakuba

"What?"

Kudo looked at him a second before understanding that Hakuba had never seen him before so he didn't know of the close resemblance we shared.

"Okay, now I_ really _want to know what's goin' on." Hattori had my place next to Hakuba, his expression a mix of confusion and comprehension as he decided for himself who was who.

"Kid, are you going to be staying or has the mood suddenly shifted?"

"I'm afraid I no longer feel comfortable here." I kept Kudo's voice and turned to Hakuba "Do you need anything?"

It was clear Hakuba was still incredibly tired. The weird contraption on the table had got him caught up in the moment but his stamina couldn't keep up. The detective loved to figure things out and if I was confused about the fruit-like thing was when I came in, so was he.

"I really wanted to shower or something but it can wait."

I had to admit that I felt dirty myself. We'd been running around for the past… 72… 48… a lot of hours and sleeping in our free time. Neither of us had found time for a shower. We were both exhausted and dirty and in no way wanting to take the train to my house at this time of day.

"Tantei-kun, may we indulge in your hospitality a little longer? I'd say we could go across the street but I don't think you want me leaving Hakase-san's house like this."

"I said it can wait."

"It's fine" Kudo replied. "I'll try and make sure that Hattori doesn't bother you. Meanwhile," again he looked at Hattori with some displeasure, "you can tell me what you think you're doing just barging in" _And shouting my name when you don't know if there are others over here. _I could practically hear him yelling at the other detective. Luckily for Kudo, Hakuba had been too confused at the time to take any notice of it.

Hattori didn't bat an eye. Whatever he'd wanted to talked to Kudo about was important. That didn't mean the dark-skinned detective was letting up on the questions he had.

"Kid? In yer house? And yer letting 'im stay?" He pointed his thumb in a backward motion and Hakuba "And he doesn't look it but I'm guessin' this is Hakuba-kun. And with both of you guys here you're just lettin' Kid run around."

"Yes." Both detectives answered simultaneously. Professor Agasa just sat and shrugged his shoulders at him.

"Okay, well. Somethin's clearly goin' over my head so I'll go along with Ku- Conan-kun for now."

"Why thank you," it felt weird addressing Hattori as Kudo when he knew the other boy was in the room. "I hope that means you won't try to peek in on me when I'm in the shower as well." I raised my eyebrows at him and got a scowl.

"Now why would I wanna do that? Gross." The Osakan boy turned away from me and back to the real Kudo with a, _what the Hell is going on _look_. _I took the time to go back to the other room with Hakuba so that we could both catch up on our sleep while the other one showered.

"You first." I laid down on the bed and fell asleep almost instantly, stopping the detective from making any arguments. _Things couldn't get any worse_, I thought to myself, _right_?

_Sure they can't, _my inner voice thought back to me sarcastically.

…

Hakuba must not have woken me up when he got out. It wasn't until hours later that I came to consciousness on my own and found him asleep in the other bed again.

"Jerk" I mumbled to myself. "_'What if something happened and I'd been asleep_?'" I mimicked his words back to him in his own voice from earlier. Well, Kudo said he'd watch over Hattori so the other boy probably hadn't even come into the room, that didn't mean that letting him have the chance again was a good idea.

I rushed through my shower, taking the bandages off before entering and finding that the place were the stitches had ripped open wasn't that large but hurt badly. I physically couldn't look at my back. I left the bandages on my head while I went in the shower so I could clean my hair and wash out the gel without infecting it. While I washed I made sure my back didn't come in contact with any of the soapy water. The small cuts on my arms and legs stung when it touched them but my earlier burns didn't bother me, most likely because they'd had the chance to start healing.

I was done in less then five minutes but it took longer to re-bandaged everything. When that was done and I was finally clean I went for the bag again.

Pretending to be Kudo was obviously out of the question and I knew I had a few wigs somewhere in there. I settled on one that was a lighter shade of brown then my own and longer so that I wouldn't need to bother hiding my real hair under a cap. It was funny because it looked like the style Hakuba had going, we'd look like twins if I could find a darker shade.

I left the bathroom and snuck past Kudo and Hattori who were disusing something heated in the laboratory room we'd been in earlier. I made my way quickly over to Kudo's house and snuck in to grab a new pair of pants. I took me a while since most of his clothes seemed to be blue but I found a black pair hidden in the back that went great with the white shirt.

Sneaking back into the professor's house wasn't necessary and I went over to the two of them.

"Once Hakuba-san wakes up we'll be out of your hair Tantei-kun." I smiled to Kudo as he looked up at me. "Thank you."

"This was a one time only thing. If I run into you again, Kid I mean, I will try and stop you."

"That's fine." I waved him off. "I think I can give you some help as well, even if you didn't ask for it."

Kudo looked at me questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"Hattori-kun I have no idea what you've gotten yourself into but there are two men around the corner of this street, on the right, who are watching this house with suspicious extremity. I thought the information might be helpful."

Hattori's eyes narrowed at me, not because he was angry at me, but because he was thinking about what I'd just said.

"Do you need any help with that?" I asked him.

He just shook his head. "Nah, I can take care of it on my own."

"Sure, if you need me I'll still be here until Hakuba-san wakes up on his own. You could always ask."

Kudo watched Hattori with a pleading look that would have been more effective if he wasn't trying to hide it. It was Hattori's decision, it seemed, whether he was going to accept my help or not.

Hattori shook his head and growled. "Ah, fine. When you two leave can ya help us get outta here unseen too?"

"That's it? Aw, you're making this too easy for me." I smiled at him. "They won't even know we left."


	11. Crossing the Line

OK Mysteryfan17, since that was my error and I'm sorry (I fixed it :) ) I'm now posting the next chapter way early JUST FOR YOU!

YEAH!

(And no, I just needed Hattori in the story... his essential later on) Hakuba is the ONLY one involved with the kids (well, obviously besides Kaito and his group)  
And, and about Hattori (Heiji, whatever. I thought Kaito could call him Hattori in his head as well) I'm not sure if "Osakan" is a word... I've been debated it for a while and settled on it. It didn't feel right calling him the 'Kansai detective'... I could of done it but Osakan sounded better :)

And if anyone notices any grammar mistakes please inform me (not through a review but e-mail... having it 'Forever posted' *woohhoo* would be embarrassing)  
Thank you everyone!

* * *

_**Chapter 11: Crossing the Line**_

It was a few hours before the detective came to. Professor Agasa clearly didn't feel comfortable in my presence so he made some excuse to Kudo before heading out in his car. It made no difference to me and if the old man felt he had to go, that was ok, it still meant he felt safe enough to let me loose in his house.

In my spare time I took it upon myself to make sure that there weren't any other prowlers that I had missed. Whatever Hattori and Kudo were discussing remained between them while I found the professor's roof rather comfortable.

If it weren't for the cold weather I would have stayed up there but I didn't want to have to deal with getting sick in the middle of everything. After finding a car that was parked a few blocks over containing some none-to-pleasant looking men and a woman passenger I went back in and told them about it.

"What kind a people are you dealing with?" I asked when they both shared some knowing look about the car. "I'm not prying or anything but it looks serious."

Kudo shook his head. "It's not. There are just some powerful families involved in this case that want to make sure some things remain hidden. Hattori spurred their interest when he went over there and threw some accusations around when he _should have waited until he found the proof_."

"Hey, the guy called me a cheap charlatan just 'cause I wouldn't accept their money! I had tamake sure that he was aware I knew about his smugglin'. The guy was just askin' for it." Hattori grinned to himself when he thought of the man's reaction. "So now I got some interference. It's no big deal."

"I don't think they see it that way." I hadn't meant to say it out loud because I figured Kudo already knew that these guys weren't just stalking Hattori.

Apparently the Osakan boy hadn't caught on to it.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." I tried to look confused and put my hands up. A dark look from Kudo showed that he _was _trying to keep the information from the other teen. Why he would want to do that when it was better to know about that kind of danger I had no idea. In the end it was Kudo who would have to deal with it, not me, so I had no right to interfere. "Where are you heading to anyways?"

"Airport" Kudo murmured and put his hand to his face like I'd seem him do dozens of time. "We have to get back to Osaka before things get out of hand."

"How you three can feel comfortable in each others presence is beyond words," Hakuba's voice chimed in as he came into the lab. "It just feels awkward to me," the detective shot me a separate glance, "and you don't help matters."

"What did I do?"

"You haven't been hiding yourself enough. I have to stop myself whenever I want to call you one name, because you look more like you, and then when I don't have time to stop we get what happened this morning." He sighed. "Believe it or not I think I prefer you wearing a mask so it's not as easy to broadcast… you know."

He'd censored out _your name _from the sentence since Hattori was in the room and would have picked up on it. I was growing tired of the whole situation. Spending time with Hakuba wasn't as bad as I once thought it would be and Kudo far outdid my expectations of him but I _liked_ working alone. I hadn't even thought of a good way to get all four of us out unnoticed yet because I was used to only hiding myself.

"Well it may be better for you but it's more of a hassle for me. Just call me Kid. Easy." The detective shrugged his shoulders and winced.

"Ouch." He breathed. "I guess I won't be able to do that for a while."

"Are ya hurt?" Hattori put his head to the side, confused at Hakuba's statement.

"They both are" Kudo filled in. "What other possible reason could they_ possibly_ have for coming over here and me letting consequently them stay?"

"Well how would I know?" Hattori countered "I'm not a mind reader Ku-u-Conan-kun! Sheesh!" Kudo just glowered at Hattori for almost shouting out his name in front of Hakuba again and most likely at himself for getting angry. Kudo didn't seem to like when he let his feelings get the better of him. And Hakuba called me contradictory.

"Well, we should get going then." Hakuba tapped me on the shoulder "I'm sorry for making us stay, it seems like were causing problems."

I shook my head. "They're coming with us when we leave. Just let me think for a second." Everyone obliged me and the room went unnervingly quiet. I tried to ignore their eyes on me.

Okay, four people. We didn't _have _to leave together since we were going different ways. Hakuba and I needed to get to the bus station which was just a little ways off while the other two had to get a cab at some point since the airport wasn't in walking distance. There was no way for us to sneak out of the house without being noticed by _someone_ at some point.

So make it obvious.

"Okay, Hakuba-san you're going to be going with the two of them. I'll meet you at the bus stop after I get back. Don't leave until at least five minutes after I do."

"And where will you be going?" He watched me cautiously.

"I'll be going down the street. It won't take me long to catch up."

"And why aren't you going with us?"

It occurred to me again, slower then it should have, that Hakuba had no idea I was trying to get them out without the men outside noticing. The detective didn't even know there _were_ men outside since he'd been asleep during the conversation.

I gave a quick look to Kudo and Hattori, displaying that they should not only watch Hakuba but not tell him what was going on.

"I've got to take care of something real quick. I'm taking the glider with me so I won't be gone that long. Hey, with how slow you are I'll probably catch up to you before you make it to the station." I sent him a cocky smile, trying to get him to leave with the other two. Unfortunately he's familiar with seeing through me and knew I was hiding things from him.

"Fine, but don't take to long." He gave up and let me exit the door first.

"You know what, make it ten minutes. I have to stop by the house and get some of the things I need." I spoke to Kudo, telling him none to subtlety that I was going to be sneaking in his house again.

Hattori came up to me before I had a chance to leave and put a hand on the door.

"I know ya got some reason that you're here and Kudo's helping ya, but it makes no sense for you ta help me."

"We haven't run into each other before now," I tapped his hand so he would move it. "And I hope we don't show up on opposing sides in the future. Just because this is my first time meeting you, doesn't mean I don't know you. I think we're a lot alike and the world wouldn't be safe if our talents and coinciding personalities met. So I have to keep you alive to see what happens when they do."

Hattori watched me and we shared a mirror smile. The detective and I really did have a lot in common from what I'd heard about him, more so than I thought Kudo and I did even though I knew he was in a situation similar to mine.

I didn't want anyone to get hurt if I could help it and this seemed like the best way for things to happen.

"That's no explanation."

"Well, it's my explanation."

He removed his hand and went back over to Kudo. "Thanks." He waved over his shoulder. I just left without acknowledging him, afraid it would get Hakuba asking more questions.

I made my way out the door calmly so the people at the end of the block wouldn't be concerned. Entering Kudo's house, even without a key, took seconds. The makeup I needed was upstairs in his parent's bathroom under the sink. Kudo's mother was either obviously rich or liked to keep things around from when she was acting because she had the dark shade of blush that I needed. A little more gel in my real hair and a white cap from Kudo's room did the rest. I also grabbed a dark jacket that I didn't think he ever wore from the back of his closet.

I could pass for Hattori at a glace but I didn't have the contacts to change my eye color to his dull turquoise. Kudo's clothes were also very different then Hattori's style which is why I grabbed the jacket to make it look more… distantly similar. I went out the door slowly and put a hand, which I also covered lightly in the blush, up to the cap and looked out from underneath it.

Of course this gesture was obvious. I wanted them to think I was trying to evade them when I was actually trying to draw their attention. The change of clothes wouldn't be so strange if they thought I was onto them and trying to get away. It was funny in a way, being someone who's trying to hide from someone but making sure your not. Complicated way of thinking sure, but fun and they had no reason to believe that anyone out there would try and fool them besides Hattori.

I knew the men down the street weren't armed. The people in the vehicle definitely were but those out in the open could make up any reason for their presence as long as they weren't carrying weapons. I hesitated purposely before crossing the street. A few glimpses up showed them my newly dark face but hid my eyes. After getting in the men's line of sight I went down the street in the opposite direction they were in, moving fast enough that they would have sprint or lose sight of me.

I was down a few streets before the car caught up. I started running at this point, to keep ahead of the vehicle.

Then I heard the sound of a gun go off.

I swung around the corner of the closest building with wide eyes. _These people were idiots_. I'd run into my fair share of hitters but these guys weren't even using silencers. That shot would have been heard for at least three blocks. They also hadn't taken the time to check that I was really Hattori. Some don't, but with how different I actually looked form the real teen… it was just so off. Whoever was shooting hadn't hit me even though the car was within range.

It's hard to hit straight from a moving vehicle so I couldn't fault them on that but to not use a silencer in this large of an area was asking for trouble. I heard another shot impact the wall a few feet from where I was standing. _Okay, enough sitting around. _

They were obviously after Hattori and I saw why Kudo didn't want him to know. The other teen would have had no way to avoid these people even if he'd taken off running like I had. I had to make sure they didn't lose me or they might go looking for him once I was out of sight.

The car was coming up to me so I had to move anyway. The street wasn't large and there was no oncoming traffic so I ran across as whoever was shooting fired in my basic direction three more times, missing me completely. It seemed I'd also have to be careful of anything within ten feet of me; I didn't want anyone accidentally getting shot.

These people were really terrible. All I did was keep running down the street and they missed a grand total of five more times. After that someone must have realized how bad a shot the current owner of the gun was and took over. This new person took three shots at me, two of which missed me by inches.

Now that there was someone behind the gun with better aim I wasn't going to take any chances. I snuck behind cars, forced the vehicle to make U-turns or go around the block a few times, climbed up the side of a building at one point on an emergency ladder to get to the adjacent street, and did whatever I physically could to make sure they were chasing their tails.

After a half-hour of this I led them in the opposite direction of both the airport and bus stop before vanishing.

It was easier then I thought it would be. The car went off in the wrong direction and the two who were watching Agasa's place left ages before that. I got the glider out and wiped most of the makeup off my face before taking off; the gel would have to wait until I got home. As it turned out, the jacket also made a good defense against the cold along with it's attributes as a disguise.

It only took me five or so minutes to get to the bus station to meet up with the detective. I was confused when I saw Kudo and Hattori were still with him.

There weren't that many people around since it was a little after five and most of the populace was either still at work or had come home an hour or so ago. I landed the glider a few feet in front of the terminal, out of the range of the security cameras.

The minute my feet touched the ground Hakuba shoved me roughly against a metal post keeping the roof up. I hit my head pretty hard but one of his hands pressed into the bullet wound, making me forget about it. I tried to push him off.

"What kind of idiot are you?"

I was too busy trying to get him to let up on his grip to answer. My struggles only made him push harder and I had to ball my fists in his sleeves to keep from screaming.

"Who goes running off when they're hurt to play target practice for every hit man out there? Do you think you're impervious to bullets or something? I thought we proved you wrong a few days ago but you never learn do you!"

"Stop it!" Kudo shouted from the ground, "You're only hurting him!"

Hakuba either ignored him or wasn't listening to what he was saying.

"You've got to stop doing this kind of thing! You're a thief damn it! Act like one!" I dug my fingers into his arms to try and make him release his grip. I couldn't even find the words to fight back with through the pain. Being thrown against the counter hadn't hurt as much as the constant pressure Hakuba was forcing against both sides of the wound. He didn't seem to notice my struggles since I couldn't grab him very hard. "Your going to get yourself killed! _That just makes me feel so great! _I can't catch the Kaitou Kid so I have to go and let him get himself killed 're not some super hero! If you get shot enough you're going to die, don't you get it?"

Hakuba was so serious at the moment I didn't even think I'd be able to react if I could. I'd never seen the detective fight for his opinion so much since he'd tried to convince everyone I was Kid. His grip tightened even more when he'd run out of things to shout at me.

Hattori finally pushed him off and I fell to my knees on the floor without Hakuba to hold me up. He shot me a look before facing away.

"Ain't you the one who knows his hurt? Why would ya go and hurt him more to prove yer point?" I could see the red stain on the shirt as the blood made its way through the bandages.

"Since when has my well being ever been a concern of yours?" I tried to yell back at him but my lungs were still figuring out how to work. Hattori bent down to my level and flicked me on the head with a finger. He laughed at my expression.

"Shut up for a bit will ya." He pushed the jacket aside from where it had fallen to hide the blood. He looked concerned for a moment before turning to Hakuba. "An' you better watch yer actions next time."

Hakuba was still turned away from me and had his arms crossed, though he was trying to wipe off something on his hand on the inside of his jacket. "Why did I ever think this was a good idea?" I heard him whisper. I could practically see the anger coming off of him that was making his body shake even though he was trying to control it.

"I know where yer coming from but I can't say I'm on yer side." Hattori stopped looking at either one of us, instead facing Kudo. "Me and Ku-Conan-kun couldn't have gotten out of there without his help an' I didn't know ya were so protective of him or I woulda told ya what was goin' on."

"Protective," Hakuba growled. "Ha, I just don't see how _I'm_ going to live through this without help and the only help I could find wants to die before they can finish assisting me."

"I am helping," I breathed. Hakuba scoffed at me and went quiet. I turned to Hattori. "Why _are _you still here?" I asked him when I remembered that they should be on a plane or at least a cab at this point. Hattori rested his elbow on his knee and pointed to Hakuba.

"I figured ya didn't want him goin' after ya so I had to stop him. I don't think he likes me too much right now."

I smiled and turned back to the detective, even if he couldn't see me. "You know you're not bullet proof either."

"How would we know, I haven't been shot yet." The distain in his voice directed at me was more seething and garnered more a reaction from me than when we'd had the argument over trusting each other.

"You're back would tell you otherwise."

"That is not being shot," he turned quickly back towards me and pushed Hattori a little to press on my right shoulder, making me hiss in a breath. "This is being shot," he looked up at the bandages showing through the borrowed cap as well before he turned away, "and you shouldn't have been. What kind of idiot pushes someone out of the way but can't move himself?"

"We've already come to the conclusion that I'm an idiot."

I saw now what was bothering the detective so much. He hadn't really come to accept that there were people getting hurt around him while he'd been with me. Now, when I had gone to help Hattori, he'd gotten a clear look at what he was asking me to do. He'd also seen what I was willing to do for others, what could potentially happen while I was helping him. It was more then the detective could handle so he'd attacked me trying to figure it out.

We were quiet for a while, allowing Hakuba calmed down.

"So did you get hit?" He allowed himself enough time to glace over me before turning back.

"As you can see I'm in one piece. I didn't feel like repeating the experience." I smiled, my tone light as I got my knees out from under me and sat against the post. It took him a while for him to ask his next question.

"Did you get hurt or did I do that?" He didn't turn back but he looked at his hand which he must have gotten some of my blood on when he grabbed me.

I remained silent while I debated whether to lie to him or tell the truth. Whatever small pause I had left was enough of an answer.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. I already tore the stitches anyway." I buttoned up the jacket so that it was covering most of the mark. Hakuba wince to himself.

"Did that happen last night?"

"Yeah." I smiled and got myself up off the floor with a hand from Hattori. "And last night was completely my responsibility and not part of what I've been helping you with."

"Last night..." Hakuba looked confused for a second before turning to face me with none of the hatred, be it directed towards me or at himself, that he'd had shown seconds before. "What happened last night? Who were those people?"

"I have no idea. There are some over zealous people out there who some times think the best way to catch me is to shoot me."

"You're lying." There was no hesitation or doubt in his response. "So who were they?"

"They're part of that '_I'm not telling you to keep us _both_ safe_' part, so drop it." It seemed whenever I tried to get the detective away from Snake and his people my voice developed a very demanding and cold tone. All three detectives looked at my like I'd just sported horns.

Kudo in particular watched me the closest. What look I returned the shrunken teen I don't know, but it seemed to only make him more curious than not.

"Well, that's a pleasant way to change the topic of conversation." Hakuba walked ahead of me a little, not facing me. "I understand that you're hiding some things that you feel need to be hidden and I said I wouldn't push you on that matter."

I put my hand on his shoulder and was about to say something when his sudden reaction, quite honestly, scared the hell out of me.

"Don't touch me!" he shoved my hand off and pushed himself away as well. "Just because I said I understand _that_ aspect of this should-never-be partnership does _not_ mean that I'm fine with you acting the way you do." He was shaking again "I don't know what I'm going to do from now but I want you to stay the hell away from me!"

I didn't know how to respond to that. I just stood where I was with a calm expression on my face I only resorted to when I was completely lost.

"What do you want me to do?" My tone was as flat and as distant as my expression. I saw Hattori shiver out of the corner of my eye.

"Didn't you hear me? Just stay away from me." Hakuba made his way as fast as he could away from us. I was left with the Kudo and Hattori who both looked uncomfortable in the position they found themselves in. Hattori snapped out of it first, that or he was just like me and had more people skills.

"I don't know what's goin' on with him but ya should let him figure things out. I don't think Hakuba-kun's really gotten involved in anything that's affected him so much as whatever ya two are dealin' with now. I think it just scared him."

I turned back to them with a mask very different then my usual. Smile, that works when you're dealing with friends and hostiles so you never have to worry about your image. I could smile if I wanted to. I could laugh and pretend like I wasn't confused up to the high heavens. But it didn't seem like it would fool either person in front of me. It would just be more of a testament to how much I was trying to figure out and how much I was trying to hide. So I didn't.

Hattori looked at me and bent down to Kudo's level to whisper something to him. I couldn't catch their conversation as the bus stop became noisier. Kudo shook his head and the other teen dropped his shoulders in resignation.

"But I have-"

"You shouldn't be seen there anyways."

"Fine but I don't think this is a good idea Kudo." Hattori got up and went off on his own. I frowned after him but didn't watch where he went.

Kudo turned to me after Hattori was out of sight and waved before taking off in the opposite direction.

"Weren't you getting on a plane?"

He turned back to me and looked into the crowd where Hattori had gone. "It's not a good idea for him to go back to Osaka if there are people after him so he's going off on his own for a bit. I'm going to wrap of the case before things get worse."

I hadn't been thinking clearly for some time now. Of course Hattori going back wouldn't have a good outcome. I couldn't see why I had never doubted this when Kudo had said they were _both_ going back.

"Yes, your right. Sorry." I saluted him a goodbye as well and made sure that Hakuba had enough time to get on any of the dozens of buses. Whatever was eating the detective would not get any better with me still near him. I vouched for taking one that didn't go to the closest stop to my house since I didn't know where Hakuba planned on going. I'd have to walk for ten minutes but it wasn't that far out of the way.

On the bus ride home I tried to figure out what had set the detective off. Okay, I'd gotten hurt. I hadn't this time and the shooter was a joke, Hakuba would have known by the fact that he could hear the shots from Agasa's place. Respectively, I had gotten hurt earlier and he didn't seem to care then, at least not as much as he did now. It happened sometimes. I'd gotten hurt before helping him out with my work as Kid too. The detective had to have gotten himself hurt at some point on one of the cases he'd taken on before he'd come across me.

So I didn't go around wearing a vest and expecting everyone to shoot at me everyday. I wouldn't want to go around like that anyway. If you think something bad is going to happen, and expect it, you're too busy worrying about the consequences than preventing it.

I couldn't figure it out. Whatever made him suddenly decide that he didn't want to be working with me would have to remain lost to me until he decided to share. That didn't look promising. I wasn't going to give up on anything though even if Hakuba didn't want me with him.

I was still going to find someway to make those children safe and Snake wasn't going to sidetrack or hinder me anymore.

* * *

...

For all those who cared Ai-kun is coming in the later chapters and was phyically not at home when Kaito first stopped by (In case anyone was wondering... Where was she then? I have no idea, I just couldn't have her in the scene, but she does come later)


	12. Warmth in the Night

Hattori is now a permanent fixture in the story so don't expect him to disappear anytime soon... All you people out there who don't like him, whatever, he NEEDS to be there at some key points later on.

And geez Mysteryfan17, I feel like complementing you every update. If it wasn't for you they wouldn't be going up so fast. (hahaha, I have a sister too and I WISHED that she cared about stuff like that ;) )

* * *

_**Chapter 12: Warmth in the Night**_

Aoko was at my house when I made it back. I unfortunately had to avoid her, since I still had some of the makeup on my face and the clothes I was wearing clearly weren't mine. The bandages were also showing through the cap and I didn't want to explain them to her.

I'd grown used to sneaking in my window since I didn't want to wake my mom up when I'd been out late. I wouldn't have been surprised though, if she told me she knew when I came in.

Once in my room I took off the clothes and exchanged them for a collared black shirt and a less formal pair of black pants than Kudo's. I took the cap off and rinsed the gel out of my hair again, and let it dry in my own wired fashion. That bandages would be harder. I thought for a while before deciding to just cover them with a wig and another hat, this cap black to match the outfit.

I had to leave out my window too since Aoko knew I wasn't home and was already comfortably sitting in the main room. The trees in the yard helped me get down from the second story as simply as I'd gotten up. I went around and opened the front door at the same time my mom did from inside.

"Kaito, you know you really should have called. I was worried last night," she scolded me, dragging me into the house by my left arm.

"Sorry, I fell asleep before I remembered."

"Aoko-chan's here and she's been waiting for you with me since noon. It's three-thirty now." She laughed at my expression when she told me the time, aware that I hadn't looked at a clock for a while. "I told her you went out and said you wouldn't be back for a while but she wouldn't leave."

"It's fine, there's nothing bad hap... pen…ing..." I looked around the house to find it empty, "Where'd everyone go?"

"Oh, Jii-san said that there was somewhere safe he knew of that would be better than the house. I argued with him but couldn't win. He and the children went there this morning and he left a cell phone with a number in it for you to call."

Jii had a lot of contacts that I didn't know about, and if one of those people had somewhere safe for the kids to stay I wouldn't fight him on it. I'd complained to him earlier how I was putting mom in danger so he must have acted on it, and it _did _comfort me to know that my mom would be safe.

Aokorushed in from another room as my mom was about to ask me something. She was obviously angry at me, judging by her stern expression, and before I knew what was happening she shoved a trout in my face.

"AH!" I took mom in front of me and hid behind her so I wouldn't have to see the fish.

"Serves you right Kaito! You said you were sick and I come over to find that you're off running around in this cold weather! Even if you got better Friday it doesn't mean you should go outside after you get over a cold." Aoko put her hands on her hips, still throwing the fish around.

"And so you choose to attack me with fish?"

Aokopeeked behind my mom and shoved the slimy thingback in my face. I jumped away and banged my head as I collided with the wall. The knock from earlier had left a soft spot so hitting it again hurt worse.

"Stop it you stupid girl!" I yelled at her more violently then I should have. Aoko just looked at me and sighed.

"Fine but you're still an idiot Kaito and don't call me stupid!" Instead of threatening me with the fish again, she kicked me lightly with her toe. "I don't like when you call me stupid just as much as you hate the fish."

She went back into the kitchen to do something with the amphibian before coming over to me and offering her hand.

"Get up already you idiot. Why are you still sitting on the floor?"

I pushed her hand away and got up on my own.

"I don't want to touch your hand after you handled that thing." The hate in my voice was directed solely on the creature and not Aoko. She rolled her eyes at me.

"I'll go wash them." Aoko disappeared back into the kitchen again with a tried expression and my mom smiled.

"The two of you are so cute together."

"Let me try putting a dead possum in your face and see how you like it Okasan," I mumbled to her under my breath. She just laughed at me and looked around.

"What happened to Hakuba-kun? Wasn't he with you?"

"I don't know, he left a little before I did and we got on different buses. I don't think he's coming back." My mom shot me a strained look at what little explanation I gave her before Aokoreturned. We shared glances that went over the girl's head as I tried to tell her nothing bad happened.

"Kaito," Aoko tapped me lightly on the side of the arm, forcing me to look at her. "I'm not doing anything today and I haven't seen you all week so will you go to the mall with me?"

Well, I had been ignoring her. It was unintentional but that didn't mean it wasn't happening. Hakuba made it clear that he didn't want me helping him anymore, even though I was still going to. Jii took the children somewhere safe, so I didn't have to worry about them or mom. I had time for Aoko.

"Sure but why do you want to go to the mall? It's cold out there."

"Well, you've already been outside so I don't think going back out will get you sick. Christmas is coming up soon and I wanted to look for presents before all the good ones were gone."

"Aoko it's just the start of November, I don't think they're going to be selling outof anything yet." I rubbed the back of my head where it was still sore, the clasp on the cap seemed to direct the pain to that particular spot.

"Which means I only have a month and I'm not going to do any last minute shopping." She pulled my sleeve and led me to the door. "Let's go."

"I guess I'm going. Bye mom!" I shouted, just snatching a jacket by the side of the door before Aoko pulled me through.

I turned to her after she dragged me out of my own house. I was going to yell at her but the smile on her face made me stop. Aoko really put up with a lot around me, not that I didn't have to put up with a lot of her stuff too, but after she yelled at me she seemed to be in a much happier mood. As long as I didn't antagonize her afterwards she would stay that way for the rest of the day.

I subjected myself to followingher after we got to the mall. She window shopped before she saw something in a store sellingporcelain figurines. When we entered the store my body relaxed, letting the heat wash over me. The air was cold in November and Aoko had good reason to be mad at me if she thought I'd been walking around in it.

Aokomoved down one of aisles where whatever it was had first caught her attention. She picked up an eight inch Halloween styled cat that was circling a clear ball, it's eyes yellow and it's back arched.

"Akako-chan would like this don't you think?" Aoko picked it up to examine the price tag on the bottom.

"Don't get that girl anything. You know she's not going to get anything for you."

"Don't say that when you don't know anything Kaito. Akako-chan hasn't been here for that long so you shouldn't expect the worst of people." Aoko crossed her arms and looked sad.

_I don't expect the worst of people but I know she doesn't like you_, I thought to myself. Akako was so strange some of the time that I didn't know whether it was because she wanted to help me or because she wanted to ruin my life. Aoko was in her way in either case.

Aoko picked up the cat and took in to the register. It rang up as 1900 Yen and I was tempted to talk her out of buyingsomething so expensive. Akako would like it but that didn't mean she had to spend all her money on the witch.

Happy that she had gotten it, Aoko walked out of store and I sighed as I followed her. Well, I knew I was going to get Aoko something special this year. With how much of her money she spent on her friends and how much time she put into having the party I only caught the beginning of last year, I wanted to make sure that Kid didn't do anything this Christmas.

The frigid outside wind made me shiver. I'd grabbed the jacket that had been lying by the front door on impulse, but it was thin and did little to fight the biting cold. I wrapped it around me as best I could as I followed Aoko. Her jacket looked like it didn't keep her warm either, but since she was smiling so much I didn't think she cared.

Cold or not the girl was infectious. I found myself smiling with her as I caught up to where she had stopped at a Christmas display of fake snow, polar bears, and an electronic train.

"How much do you think that is?" She asked me when she pointed to the train.

"Too much," I bent down to get a better look. "You can get some at a cheap price but the electronic trains can go for a lot of money sometimes. Who were you getting it for?"

"Hakuba-kun. I thought he'd like it." She pushed in the door and I heard a bell over head jingle. I watched her for a minute before following her in. Once I was inside I saw plastic mistletoe hung up with the bell. I smiled and kept going.

Aoko was at the counter asking the man about any of the cheaper train sets that he had. As I looked around the store I saw hanging airplanemodelslike my dad had on the ceiling, over-sized balls that could knock you over if you were a kid and didn't catch them right, and a bunch of other miscellaneous things.

"Aoko I think Hakuba-kun may already have one of those since he's from England, so you can get him something cheaper."

"So what?" Aoko shot at me. "He doesn't have one from me and that makes it different. "

She paid the man an insane amount of money for one of the sets he had in the back. I shook my head and waited for him to put it in the bag.

"Of course it's different. He'd like anything that came from you so you didn't need to spend so much." I touched her shoulder and smiled at her. The detective seemed to show some interest in Aokobut he'd never said anything. The one time he'd asked her out turned into a contest between us and I was happy he hadn't tried anything afterwards.

"It's fine. If you don't give someone the present you _want _them to have, it doesn't mean as much." Aokosmiled at me. "For example if I was choosingbetween a red and blue pencil to give you and I thought you'd like the red one better, I'd be happier than if you told me later that you liked blue. In most ways gifts reflect how you feel towards the person you're giving them too as well."

"Yeah, yeah." I kept my arm on her shoulder to make sure that we walked out the door at the same time and kissed her on the cheek.

"Kaito why'd you do that?" She blushed a deep shade of red as her emotions played havoc on her.

"Mistletoe" I pointed up to it. "You can't go breaking long held traditions after all."

Aoko punched me lightly on the arm and looked away from me to try hid her face. I gave her an evil smile and snuck up behind her to tickle her.

"Kaito!" She yelled at me and swatted in my general direction with her only free hand. "Don't do that!"

"Aw, now I can't tell if you're blushing or just mad at me." I met her eyes and she glared at me while I grinned back. It was easier when neither of us thought too much about being close to one another. We were friends and had been for years. If that changed now, when I wasn't ready for it with everything I had going on in my life, I wouldn't know how to deal with it. She didn't seem to mind when I changed the mood, or she didn't seem to notice me doing it. Most of the time it was an unconscious act on both our parts.

"I don't have much money left so we can go home if you want to." Aoko spoke as we continued down the stores. I could see that she still wanted to stay. It wasn't hard with the way her eyes sparkled as we passed a few more storefronts.

"Nah, I've been looking for Christmas presents too and I still have money," I lied. I did have money but I wasn't going to be lookingfor gifts yet since I didn't know whether I was giving one to anyone besides Aoko. If Akakoknew I didn't get her one, she could get mad enough to make my life Hell, so I'd have to find something for her too.

We passed a chocolate store and Aoko ran in.

"Stay out here Kaito, I'll be right back."

"_Sure stay out here in the cold Kaito. I like to see what color the human body turns when it freezes,_" I growled to myself after she went in the doors. I shivered again and moved my feet to try and warm myself up.

Aoko was true to her word and came out after only a minute or two.

"Here," She handed me a chocolate bar and turned away. "Thanks for coming with me even though it's cold."

"Aoko," I sighed. "You don't have enough money to spend on stuff like this." Chocolate stores charged more money than if we'd gone to the convince store on the way home. I knew how good it was and how much a difference in taste there was, but I didn't want her to be spending her Christmas money on me.

"Of course I had to," she smiled and I saw the hint of the blush returning. "I spent in on you and that's different than if you bought it or if I got it somewhere else, right?"

"It's different." I opened the see-through wrapper it was in and broke off a piece. "What's one times a hundred?"

Aoko stopped to give me a confused look.

"Kaito you know the answer to that, why are you asking me?"

"Just answer it."

She gave me a look that said how much of an idiot I was being.

"One-" I cut her off by sticking some of the chocolate in her mouth. She blushed and took what was left of the big piece in her hand.

"Kaito the chocolate's for you."

"And I like to share, it makes it taste better. Chocolate also warms you up in the cold." It was late so the absence of the sun was helping the chill sink in. Aokoate the chocolate in silence and I could see her breath fogging in front of her.

I looked aimlessly around for minute so she'd have a chance to look at the other shops that interested her. She stopped at one longer than the others that contained stuffed animals. I walked in so that she would be able to look around.

There was a mess of them. I didn't even know there were stores out there that focused entirely on stuffed animals. The food chain wasn't organized though and there were ducks sitting calmly next to sharks, dogs and cats snuggled up together, and so on. Aoko went over to the winter animals where there were seals, whales, and polar bears. She focused intently on one of the creatures before walking away.

I didn't like any of those kinds of animals and I knew her dad liked dogs so that meant the winter creatures had caught _her_ attention. I picked up the one she had been looking at and took it to the counter while she was down the next aisle.

"Kaito?" Aoko asked softly when she noticed I wasn't behind her. I was next to her in a heartbeat, package safely paid for and tucked away elsewhere, where I could pick it up on the way out. She rolled her eyes at me. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing."

Aoko shook her head at me and smiled. "Most of the time when you're doing 'nothing' it turns out bad for somebody else."

"Don't worry. I wouldn't do anything in a store."

"Lair. You made the sprinkler system go off when we went to aquarium on that field trip last year."

"Hey, I only did that because the teacher wouldn't let me leave!" I defended myself. Last year when our class had gone on the field trip our teacher said that anyone who missed it would get a bad mark for participation. Mom wouldn't let me skip out since the teacher was serious so I had to… make sure that we wouldn't have to go.

"You know I had no idea why you did it back then." Aoko smiled at me, "Now I know it's because you were scared of the fish."

"I wasn't scared… I just didn't feel like going." I crossed my arms and Aoko laughed at me. She looked at the stuff animals some more and held up a porcupine.

"Look Kaito, it's you!"

I took it from her and put in back on the shelf. I was tempted to grab a pig and shout, '_look I found you too!' _but stopped myself. Aoko was in a good mood and I wanted her to stay that way so she wouldn't need to barge in on me for the next few days.

We left the store and were in silent agreement that we should go home. The sky was dark and the wind chill was getting worse.

"Here." I pulled the stuffed animal out of thin air. It was a blue penguin with bright blue eyes.

"Kaito!" Aoko took it and hugged it to herself before turning and trying to appear mad at me through the smile. "You shouldn't be spending your money on things like this either."

"Well, it's a thank you present for takingme to the mall with you. I needed to get out of the house for a while." I really needed the time away from everything while I got myself back together and beingwith Aoko _was_ fun. "And it's from me so it's different."

"Thank you." Aoko put her face into the birds and grinned like a child. I grinned back with just a little restraint. When a cold gust of wind blew towards us we both shivered.

"I wish I was like the penguin and the cold didn't bother me." She smiled and buried herself deeper in the animal. "But then I wouldn't be able to enjoy the summer."

I looked around and shivered to myself, debating whether to act on my thoughts or not. A few more gusts and the lack of people around gave me the courage to.

I took the side of my jacket in my good arm and wrapped in around Aoko. She looked startled and tried to back away but I held on.

"Come on, we're both cold and this will keep us warm."

Aoko's struggling stopped and she settled in my coat beside me. I felt her cold hand wrap slowly around my waist, trying to not be obvious.

"Thanks Kaito"

I position the inside of my arm so that it was warming her ear and tried to keep her as close to me as I could. The wind got at some of my open skin but Aoko's warmth keep the worst of it away. We walked to her house like that since neither of us wanted to separate and be cold.

"Thanks for going with me and for the penguin." She hugged it close to her when she went in the house. "Do you want to stay a while? Dad's not home yet."

"Nope I'm going home. Thanks for the chocolate." I waved goodbye to her and started back towards my house, I had to pass it to take her home.

Mom greeted me when I walked in the door.

"Kaito you should really call Jii-sanand see if there's anythinghe needs. I'd call him but I think he wants to hear from you. If he does need anything, I could go to him and bring it."

"I'll call him later mom, I'm going to take a shower." I was already at the top of the stairs and taking off my clothes. The cold weather had left me frozen and a shower sounded like a good idea.

I left the wrappings on since I knew the one on my chest was open again and would bother me in the water. I let the warmth run over me and was content when there wasn't any pain to go along with it. The burns were scabbed over and the rest of my injuries were wrapped up. After a few minutes of soaking, I cleaned myself, making sure to get the remnants of gel and makeup off.

I took the bandages off, redid them, and got my clothes on just as the doorbell rang. My hair was still wet and I didn't have time to change the cloth around my head. I knew mom would be mad if she saw it but a wig and wet hair didn't go together. I sighed and went down the stairs.

"Kaito there's-" Mom looked and me and shook her head. "What happened?"

"Nothing, if I got shot in the head I wouldn't be here talking to you. It just scraped me."

Mom went up to me and messed up my still wet hair on top.

"You know your hair looks like a weed garden when you hide your bangs."

"Thanks a lot." I faced the door where someone was still knocking. "Who's there?"

"I don't know. I didn't think it was for me and I was coming up to tell you that I made some dinner if you wanted it." My stomach growled when she mentioned the food. I hadn't eaten all day except for a few non-perishable stuff I'd found when I'd rummaged through Kudo'shouse. The chocolate had reminded my stomach how little was in it when I was with Aoko.

"Get the door first and I'll be in the kitchen." She laughed at me before messing up my hair again.

I rolled my eyes at her and went to the front door. I slammed it shut again.

"I did not just see that" I told myself. It wouldn't make it true but I could doubt it for a second or two with the door closed.

"Hey that was rude!" The other teen yelled loudly. "I came all the way here to talk to ya and this is how ya act!"

I was tempted to plug my ears and pretend I couldn't hear him either. My mom heard me slam the door and came back to check.

"Kaito what's wrong."

"Nothing." I leaned against the door and was still debating with myself what I was going to do with the people on the other side. Hakubawas back, which was a good thing, it meant the detective had enough time to calm down and was goingto tell me why he went off on me. The bad thing was he'd brought Hattori with him. _To my house_.

"Come on, let us in! Or at least come out here with us." It couldn't have been any more obvious that the detective had told Hattorimore than enough incriminating things against me. It was cold outside and I was still wet, so I didn't feel like doing that.

I opened the door reluctantly and Hattori patted me on the head the same way my mom had just done.

"See, wasn't that hard ta open the door, was it?"

I went and messed up his hair as well, though it came out funnier because he couldn't really mess mine up. "Nope."

"Hey!" He flattened out the ends I'd made stick up. "I'm used to people just scowlin' at me when I do it. I never had anyone muss up _my_ hair."

"There's a first time for everything." I grinned, giving up on trying to keep anything secret. There wasn't anything I could do about it so why worry. The consequences would come whether I wanted them to or not. "Why exactly are you here?"

"I decided to follow him and it's a good thing I did. I woulda never known where to look fer him otherwise. He said he couldn't go to his house." Hakuba fidgeted when I stared at him but wouldn't meet my eyes. "Can we come in or not?"

"Sorry." I got out of the way and my mom was able to see them.

"Who else have you brought over?" She looked at Hattori before politely greeting him.

He greeted mom back a little less formally before turning back to me. "I gotta talk to ya. So does he." Hattori pointed his finger in Hakuba's direction.

"Sounds like and intervention," my mom giggled.

"It kinda is." Hattori joined in with her and Hakuba colored a little before going back to looking angry.

"I hope there's no liquor involved." My mom kept the joke running.

"I wish, it'd make things easier. Too bad most of us are underage."

"You think that matters in this house?" She messed up my hair some more and I was getting tired of everyone touching my head. "Of course I'd never let _you_ have any. I wouldn't want to see what you'd get up to running around drunk."

Everyone laughed at me, Hakuba tried not to but he couldn't help it.

"We'd wake up in the morning ta a world a polka dotted trees an' the city would be pink," Hattori provided.

"Hey, I wouldn't do that" I shot at them.

"Well, maybe not polka dots…"

"No, I wouldn't use pink…maybe blue or something." They started laughing again when they noticed I was serious.

"Well good fer ya. I don't like the color of the buildin's anyway." Hattoristarted movingtowards the main room. "Sorry fer getting us off track but I really do gotta talk to you."

"Ok. Mom what are you going to do?" I turned back to her and she smiled.

"I think I'm going to sit in on this intervention. I have a few things I'd like to find out and you always need a good woman's opinion."

We all sat down in the main room; Hakuba and Hattori sat on the couch and I gave mom the one other chair that was in the room. I went back to the kitchen to grab a wooden one for myself.

"So what happened with you today?" I asked Hakuba when we were all seated. He crossed his arms and looked away from me.

"I've been trying to go over that answer with myself as well. I don't know if I can work with you the way things are Kuroba-kun, and if I do I don't know how I'll be able to deal with you when this is over. I didn't think I'd have a problem with it before but when you're with someone for so long and in the types of situations we've been in… I'm just a little confused at the moment and I took it out on you. I'm sorry about that."

"Trust me, I'm confused about the same things you are-"

"You're not."

I stayed quiet to let him explain. Hakubasighed and brushed his hair with one of his hands, a habit he'd seemed to have developed recently.

"It's easy for you. You already know what you want and how you're going to get it by the time that I'm just becoming aware of anything. You know on instinct what you will and won't do and what you'll do anyway. You hide things and reveal things based on the results you want. And you always get good results." He sighed and put one of his hands on the arm of the couch to hold his head. "I've never had to make these kinds of snap decisions and I've never had the opportunity or need to throw away what I believe and uphold for what I think is right. Right now you're sitting here calmly with me, not worried about what I'll do. I won't do anything, but that doesn't mean some part of me doesn't want to. Some part of me later on might decide that, for whatever your reasons, stealing is wrong and… This is where I am right now. I'm confused."

"Don't worry about me, I don't have the same problems that he does. I ain't gonna make any rash decisions about ya so don't think I'm gonna turn ya in or anythin'."

"I didn't think you would" I smiled at Hattori. "I wouldn't have let you in the house if I did."

I turned back to Hakuba. "If you think at any point that it's necessary, that upholding the law is appropriate at the time, come here. Talk to me. If you don't find a reason that makes you believe otherwise then go to the police."

"And then we're right back to where we used to be and I feel like I'm using you again instead of dealing with my own confusions."

"Hakuba-kun quit being an idiot! You're smarter than this. Do what you think is right all the time and then you'll never have a problem with your conscience. If you think that not accepting my help is best, you shouldn't feel bad if I decide to go about it on my own. I know you need your reasons for everything that happens, I knew the minute you asked me questions instead of trying to arrest me. Sometimes you can't have all the answers. No matter how much it seems like I do, I don't. You just have to do what you think is right."

"Yer better at putting it into word than I am. I've been trying to tell him the like all day." Hattori smiled at Hakuba who was staringat nothing in particular while he thought. The dark-skinned boy turned to me after.

"That's his problem taken care of. You have yers too."

"What do I have a problem with?" I asked, honestly confused.

"Ya don't trust people. I'm not sure if that's how I should say it but I don't have any other words fer it. We didn't tell Hakuba-kunanything when ya left cause ya didn't want us to, which we shouldn't have. _You _shoulda told him what ya were up to and maybe he wouldn't have reacted that way."

"I trust him. I just didn't want him to get hurt."

"Exactly, because ya didn't trust his judgment. I've had this fight with Ku-u- uh… someone, in the beginnin' to. You can't hide things from the people yer helpin' or the people tryin' ta help you. It doesn't work like that and it ain't trust. I'm not sayin' you've got to tell everyone everythin' but ya can't hide the important stuff."

"Wow, I like this one. Can we keep him?" My mom chimed in and went over to give Hattori a hug. The teen blushed at her touch and cleared his throat.

He was right in every aspect that he could have been. Of course I never trusted anyone completely before, so maybe it was harder for me not to hide things that I didn't need to. I could get past it. Hakuba was never goingto learn about Snake but I didn't need to hide anything else.

But I'd be truly putting my trust in the detective then. I was surprised he'd accepted the level of common ground we'd already created but to tell him everything that didn't have to do with Snake would be opening a door I wouldn't be able to shut.

_Who was I kidding?_ I'd already opened that door as easily, and without thought, as I had just let both detectives into the house.

"Sorry, I won't do it again." I crossed my heart with my finger. Hakuba glanced at me before letting himself smile in my presence.

"I apologize as well. I'll figure things out."

"Now." Hattori interrupted us. "That doesn't mean I'm gonna let ya guys have all the fun. What's been going on?"


	13. Static Interference

This is one of those 'leading up to' chapters so there isn't going to be much 'action' again :) Just wait until the next one!  
(UM... I'm sure some of the things I mention (especially when it comes to the phone) are impossible, sorry. I tried to make it sound realistic.)

* * *

_**Chapter 13: Static Interference**_

Neither one of us wanted to tell Hattori anything. He was a good guy but there was enough tension between Hakuba and I, that adding a third person to the mix wasn't going to help. Of course the other teen wouldn't let it go, and he had my mom on his side which made a victory for Hakuba and I difficult.

"How'd you two wind up together anyway?" I asked Hattori. "I was sure you were going to follow Conan-kun once he had his back turned."

"Nah, I don't go lookin' for trouble when I don't hafta. Hakuba-kun ran off actin' so weird, I thought that I should follow him instead. Ya shoulda seen him try an' kick me off the bus."

"If your ego wasn't so big I would have been able to."

"My ego? Look who's talkin'." Hattori shot Hakuba a disgruntled look. "So can I help ya or not, or is_ yer_ ego too big to let me?"

Mom tried to back him up, to keep Hattori from turning it into an insult fight. "How is this any different than Hakuba-kun asking for your help Kaito? He's willing and able, and I'm sure there are things out there that he could do better than either of you."

"Like what Okaasan? I know he can't do anything better than me." I shot a smug look at Hakuba, "I'm sure you couldn't either though."

"I'm a lot better at defending myself than you," The detective shot back.

"Hey, I was hurt so how'd you expect me to fight back?"

"I didn't because I knew you were hurt, and thus you can't defend yourself as well as I can." Hakuba grinned, satisfied.

"Aren't you two supposed ta be on the same side? I thought ya were arguing 'bout me? And I can tell ya that I'm better at defendin' myself than the both of you."

Neither of us could argue with him. I was good at appearing, disappearing, and sweet talking people. All qualities that were suited for being a Phantom Thief, even though I'd been using them long before. Hakuba was better at thinking and piecing things together than I was, which would make him useful as we tried to figure out who was targeting the children and how to stop them. Hattori took the cake for being able to actually fight back.

"We won't need physical combat, will we…?" I looked over at Hakuba for a second. He didn't want to work with Hattori, but there was some deeper reason the detective didn't want the other's assistance.

"No. Even if we did, the people we're going up against are armed, so it would be useless."

"And what happens when ya can't sneak by someone or use yer brain to get passed 'em? Ya'd need someone like me."

"Kuroba-kun stop doing that!" Hakuba distracted me as Hattori started to win me over to his side.

"Doing what?"

"Defying gravity with the chair." Hakuba shook his head at me, "It's very distracting."

I looked down to see that I had the chair resting on one of the back legs and my foot was no longer using the table to balance myself. I let my weight fall forward so that the legs were all on the ground again.

"Yer fidgety ain't ya?" Hattori was watching me as I did this. "It's cool that ya can do that an' not even notice yer doin' it."

I shrugged my shoulder. "I don't know. It's not my fault I'm not really watching what I'm doing when I'm trying to think."

"Wow you're thinking now?" Hakuba quickly put his hands up to retract his comment, since we were getting off track again. I huffed but dropped it.

"Well I-" Hattori was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing. The tone was simple but loud and unfamiliar to me. We looked at each other but no one knew whose it was.

"Oh, maybe it's the phone that Jii-san left for you. Didn't you call him yet?"

I sighed and followed the very loud flute version of 'Carmen'. "No, with them coming over I got a little distracted."

It was on the other side of my dad's picture and I hesitated a moment and looked at Hattori before pushing it open. "_Why couldn't he just put it on the table?"_ I mumbled to myself.

"I'm sure there are phone numbers in there he wouldn't want other people to have Kaito." My mom answered, even though I wasn't looking for one. _That made sense_.

"Hello?" I picked it up and walked back out of the room. Apparently there wasn't voice mail, since the phone hadn't stopped ringing while I was looking for it. The loud sound of static met my ear and I had to hold the phone away as I brought it back to the living room.

"Jii-chan if that's you, I can't hear anything." Moving around with the phone didn't help, which meant the connection was bad on his end. "Hello?"

I heard the static get louder as it covered up whatever words were being said on the other end of the line.

"I still can't understand you," I tried to tell him, but if the connection was so bad that he wouldn't be able to understand me either. After a minute of the static noise I hung up the phone and looked at my mom.

"That was weird. Maybe he'll call back."

"Gives ya a bit of an eerie feeling though doesn't it? Like somethin' really bad is gonna happen."

"It better not." I growled to myself, threatening whatever was out in the world to get us. "I'm ticked off at the moment and I'd feel bad if someone got hurt."

"At least Kudo's- ah," he shook his head when he said Kudo's name. "Whatever – at least he's not here or I'd take that as a sign of impendin' doom." Hattori put his hands up in the air and wiggled his fingers which made me laugh. Mom and Hakuba didn't get the joke so Hattori and I just smiled at one another.

"I won over yer leader, so I guess that makes me part of the team now. So, what's goin' on?"

"He's not leading anything." Hakuba tried to show his dominance in our partnership. "And no, you aren't helping us."

"Let's see then, since I haven't been here and all I know is it was originally yer case Hakuba-kun, answer a few questions fer me." Hattori turned to face him. "Who's been gettin' the information fer you guys?"

"Well obviously I needed Kuroba-kun for that or I wouldn't have asked him to help." Hakuba tried to vindicate himself.

"Okay, an' whose house are ya obviously usin' as… sounds cheesy, but let call it 'home base'?"

"My house isn't safe right now because there are people watching it! What else should I do?"

"'Kay, 'Kay, just hold on. You already admitted that yer here for safety and information. I'm sure there's more that he's doing that I'm not aware of 'cause ya won't tell me what the case is about, am I right?"

Hakuba crossed his arms and tried his best to ignore the other teen. Hattori just smiled and shot me a look.

"That makes ya the boss. So am I on the team or not?"

I couldn't fight him. Hattori and I were just so similar that I even enjoyed him taunting Hakuba when I was supposed to be the detective's partner.

"Sorry Hakuba-kun," my smile was a little sadder when I turned to him, though no one couldn't tell unless they were looking. "It's your case though, so I won't tell him anything if you don't want me to."

"You have just as much of a say in it as I do, and since you've chosen to let him tag along you don't have to worry about me. I've trusted your judgment this far, and it wouldn't do me any good to start doubting you now." The detective didn't look as disheartened as he should have so I took that as I sign of acceptance.

For the next two hours we all took turns filling in Hattori, and mom when we got to what happened last night, about what we'd been doing for the past few days.

Hakuba eyed me when I censored out Snake's appearance, though I left in the gun shots.

"You're still not going to explain that you me are you?"

"Nope!"

Hakuba got off the couch and forcefully put my chair back on the ground. Again, I hadn't noticed I'd been playing with it, even though I'd been juggling a few things that were in my pockets. I was happy I was able to pull both feats off at once, since I didn't have the full motion of my right arm. Nevertheless Hakuba almost made me set off one of the smoke bombs I was throwing, and I had to reach out and grab it before it hit the carpet.

"Very well then, I take it that it has nothing to do with me, the case, or anything that may hinder us in the future."

"It shouldn't." I frowned to myself. Why Snake had come after me last night was strange. The black diamond was large but impossible to see through, which meant that even if it had Pandora, no one wouldn't be able to tell. I put it off for the time being and Hakuba gave me a reproaching look.

"Okay, not withstanding the possible interference from the-"

"Kaito," my mom interrupted the detective before he could continue. "I've been letting you do what you wanted, but don't you think it would be better if you had some help too?"

"No." I left no room for argument in my statement and my mom froze at the fierceness in my voice. "I can take care of it."

Clearly dismayed at my reaction, she let it go. There was _no way_ under _any circumstances_, even if I were to die, that I would let Hakuba or even Hattori anywhere near those people. I knew somewhere in my heart that if my dad hadn't been able to take them on alone, despite whatever help he got Jii, I wouldn't be able to either. I wasn't as skilled as him and he had more years of practice.

Whatever venom my words had held still lingered in my eyes and stance. No one was up to the task of trying to speak to me at the moment and I couldn't blame them. I would have snapped at the next person to belittle or go against me.

Hattori once again broke the mood by taking one of the inch-long canisters from my hand.

"How do ya work this?" He held the small thing in his hand, careful not to put pressure anywhere on it, since the detonation switch wasn't obvious.

"Don't play with that one." I took it back from him and replaced it with another identical capsule. "That's knock-out gas and I don't feel like passing out for the next few minutes."

"And what's this one?" Hattori held it up to see the differences in the two. There was only one. My dad had seemed to keep all his fume-like distractions in these portable little things. They were easy to make and they held enough pressurized gas to either hide me or put a close range of people to sleep, so I kept them. The ones with the sleeping gas were plain and the one I gave him now had a small marked dot on it for smoke.

Hattori pushed a little too hard on one end of the thing and the gas immediately tired to escape. We were all engulfed in seconds and I heard Hakuba call him an idiot before he started coughing. I made my way quickly behind the Osakan detective just as the smoke cleared.

"You did that on purpose," I whispered into his ear.

"'Course I did. Had to clear the air after all." He smiled at me even though it was hard to see eachother clearly, and I couldn't help laughing. Hakuba jumped at the noise when he saw I'd gotten behind him. "So what'rewe gonna do now?" Hattori asked louder.

"I guess we have to wait for Jii-chan to call back or we could try and find some leads on either of the groups we'd heard of from Yanami-san."

"Which groups are those?"

"We've narrowed it down to two with his help," Hakuba spoke. "It's either a decent sized group of people who are decently well-known, though we have little information on them, who have name themselves the Baku or it's some larger group who seem to dress in black that we don't know anything about."

Hattori's expression changed from calm and laid back to dead serious in a heartbeat. Since all of us were used to looking for those kinds of reactions we noticed right away.

"Do you have any information on either of these groups Hattori-kun?"

Hattori eyed Hakuba for moment before turning to me. "How mush to ya know about… Kudo?"

Okay so we're now talking about the detective _without _the things he's done as Conan. "I know about his little problem but not much else." I didn't emphasis _little _like I normally would have, since Hattori would understand.

"It's a fifty-fifty chance between 'em right?" Hattori trailed off and started thinking to himself. "Well ya better hope it's not the second group, or ya better hope there's some other large group 'round here that likes to play dress up."

His voice and body language spoke volumes even though he hadn't said anything revealing. If it was the second group, they were dangerous. Kudo was somehow involved since he'd mentioned the other teen and if _he _hadn't caught them, it didn't look to promising for us. The kid may attract death like a magnet but I'd never known him to let anyone get away from him.

"The kids are with that friend of yers right? Ya better call 'im back." Hattori hadn't lost his initial serious undertones but he attempted to sound more cheerful. "Just to be on the safe side since he took the time to call ya."

"Okay…" I opened the flip phone that Jii had left. It wasn't the newest model out there but it wasn't a piece of junk either. I knew by the way that the back didn't close completely that he'd modified it as well.

Jii left several numbers with names next to them and a descriptive word. For example I came across Yanami and the word _informant _was in place of his first name. Jii's number for whatever phone he was using was easy to find. I laughed when I saw the word 'sidekick' next to it. I hit the call button and waited for it to go through, by the sound of the static present in just the ringing it didn't look like I'd be having a coherent conversation.

"Youn…." Jii picked up and I heard his voice for a second before it was eaten again. I sighed and looked at the other three.

"It still looks like he's in a bad service area."

I spoke back into the phone, trying to tell him to get better reception. Jii didn't answer me back in anything I could understand. I was going to hang up when a loud screeching came out of the phone and I shoved it away from my ear. It was some high frequency noise and I had to put the phone down to get away from it.

"Geez, is he trying to make me go deaf! What kind of phone does that?" I rubbed my ear with my hand as I stared at it, now sitting on the table as it screamed. The color change on the screen caught my eye as it connected with some other program.

"He can send something directly to the phone screen?" Hakuba asked as we all peered at it and the ringing stopped.

There was a small map of the area within thirty miles of my house. A red dot off to the side was blinking and had Jii's name typed in red letters against the green.

"Wow, he sent ya a map of where he was 'cause he couldn't call ya. That's cool." Hattori picked up the phone and examined it. I grabbed it away from him before he could open it up and saw both detectives shoot me disappointed looks.

"Not you too Hakuba-kun?"

"It looked interesting." The detective crossed his arms again and leaned away from Hattori when the other teen gave him an evil smile.

"Looks like we got more in common then ya like, doesn't it?"

Hakuba glared at him but it wasn't as potent as it had been earlier.

"So why did he send you the map instead of just moving or using another phone?" Hakuba got up and leaned over me to look at it. "It's far but I don't see why he couldn't have called."

"Maybe he wanted us to go there anyway, so he didn't feel he needed to call since it would get the same message across." I shrugged. _Ouch, I had to stop doing that_.

"That or he can't move," Hattori put in. I scowled at him and all the other boy did was look off into space as he thought. "I really hope it's not 'em…"

"Who?" Hakuba and I asked at the same time. I elbowed him when Hattori meet our eyes with a smile.

"No one. Just talkin' to myself."

"I thought we agreed not to keep secrets and since I never confided in you about myself you owe, pay up." I waved my fingers as if asking for money but lost the smile. Hattori had some internal battle with himself as he stared at the table and refused to meet our eyes. He shrugged and looked up.

"I have no idea who yer first group a people is, but the second group is deadly and they won't bat an eye at murder so if it's them, ya gotta be careful." He addressed just me at this point, "And yeah, they got away from Kudo."

"I've gotten away from him too" I argued, but inside I knew that if Kudo had let a murderer escape, which I wasn't, it was serious. That guy could find information and proof on anyone if he was given the chance. He'd never seemed to take that up that opportunity with me, just a few witty comments and a soccer ball aimed at my face.

"So they're dangerous…" I was mumbling to myself as I stared at the blinking red dot. "Then hopefully it's not them, since Jii-chan seems to be well enough to call and send the nifty map."

"Yeah," Hattori got up and was at the door in seconds. "So what are ya waiting for? Let's go."

"Hakuba-kun," I turned to him. "There is no way that I'm walking that far and I'm running low on money. I'm sure Hattori, in all his eagerness, doesn't have any on him either, so can you pay or get your housekeeper to take us?"

"Baaya seems to be the most appropriate choice." He dialed the number for his house and shouted to Hattori, "If you want to walk be my guest, but we're getting a ride!"

"Thanks."

Hakuba just waved me off and started speaking into the phone. I took the time to go up to my room and get a jacket that would actually keep the cold out. I found a black one with a fair amount of padding that didn't make me look like a plump duck. Hakuba had brought a thick coat from wherever he had gone to, and Hattori had been well dressed since he barged in on us at Agasa's.

I came back down stairs and everyone was waiting for me at the door.

"You make me feel like I took an eternity getting a coat" I grumbled. Mom shoved a winter hat on my head as Hattori opened the door. I turned back to her a little confused.

"The bandages," she explained. "You didn't cover them and Kaito…" She bent to kiss me on the check and whisper into my ear. "I know you like to help people but try not to do it as yourself. Walking around them as Kid might be funny but I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"Nothing bad is going to happen," I kissed her back. "And whoever is after the detective and the kids won't see hide nor hair of Kuroba Kaito, so don't worry."

Hakuba turned back to my mom and bid her goodbye. Hattori stumbled as he stopped himself from continuing to walk forward and did the same.

"Ya got a nice mom. I wish mine was like that." Hattori looked up at the sky which was now filled with stars as we walked out the door. "Mine's always on my case. I couldn't go to the bathroom without her yellin' at me."

"I don't have that problem, since mine's back in England and my father doesn't take much interest in my affairs."

"That's why ya grew up a snot noised kid." Hattori winked at me. "An' you must take after yer old man 'cause I don't see yer mom snatchin' gems."

"More of a legacy actually," I snapped my fingers and confetti, along with one of my favorite doves, appeared on Hattori's head. "This is what I got from my father."

"Wow, how'd ya do that?" Hattori put a hand up to his head and the dove preached on his finger. He used his other hand to try and get the confetti out. It wouldn't work since I'd added glitter which would stay in his hair, but I didn't need to tell him that.

"Trade secret," I waved a hand over the bird and it was gone in an instant, obviously not anywhere on my body since the poor thing would have suffocated.

"Why didn't ya stick to real magic, not that stuff ya pull off when ya steal things?"

"I'm… doing something." I waved my hand in front of him to flash his wallet and some sort of pouch he had around his neck. "You're lucky I'm not a _real_ thief or you wouldn't be getting it back."

"If ya ain't a real magician an' ya ain't a real thief, then what are ya?"

"A phantom of course." I didn't use smoke but took my jacket off for a split second and appeared on Hattori's other side, a little in front of him so I wouldn't shove Hakuba out of the way. "At least for now."

"I'm shocked anyone managed to shoot ya with how fast ya are." Hattori shoved me lightly on the back of the head. "An' quit showin' off!"

"I'm bored and the cars not here yet" I moaned. "And if you think that's showing off you haven't seen anything yet."

Hakuba grabbed my arm and shook his head before I could do anything.

"Kuroba-kun please lay off on the antics. We don't know if anyone's watching and I'm sure a smoke bomb or flash of light will guarantee unwanted attention."

"Point taken." I glanced at my watch which was currently residing in my pocket. "What's our story?"

Hakuba looked at me for a while before giving up and sighing. "Our story for what exactly?"

"You've been gone for more than a day, which I'm sure your housekeeper would have noticed. Now you're back with two people she's never seen before and we're driving clear across town. I'm sure I would want some sort of reason."

"Right," he put his hand to rest under his chin. "She won't need it but some explanation would be nice. I don't think she was too fond of my hair the last time she gave us a ride."

"I don't think she was too fond of _me_. Not that she'll know it's me again." I'd been wearing a wig the first time she'd picked us up. Thinking about what mom had just said, changing my appearance didn't seem like a bad idea. "I'm sure Kudo-kun wouldn't mind that I borrowed this."

I took the dark face makeup out of my pocket. I hadn't meant to keep it, since I had some of my own, but Kudo's mother didn't seem like she'd be using it and I didn't want it to go to waste. I grabbed a small mirror and reapplied it.

Hattori giggled and I shot him a look.

"What?"

"Nothin'," He continued to laugh, though he was trying to stop. "Ya just look like a girl when you were doing that."

"How else am I supposed to put makeup on?" I felt my face get red but he wouldn't be able to see it.

"How 'bout _not_ putting makeup on. That would work."

I snapped the mirror shut and put the cosmetics away as I took out a small unlabeled bottle. "I'm sorry I'm not a chameleon," I spat sarcastically. I took off the hat and spread the dark goo in my hair, successfully changing its color from brown to jet black. The coloring gel would dry in seconds and it allowed me to lay my hair down flatter, curling away from my face.

I had made sure to get everything that I might need from home now that I had the chance. No one could tell it but, besides a small bag I had over my shoulders, all available pocket space and lining had something in it that I might find useful at some point. I took a pair of contacts out and put in, a nice shade of amber.

"If I hadn't seen how easy it was for you to do that, I wouldn't have believed it." Hakuba ran a hand through his hair.

"What?" I put the hat back on.

"Wow," Hattori hadn't been watching me after the makeup insult, I guess trying not to make me feel too self-conscious about his comment. "I wish I coulda done that when I tried to help Kudo."

"Eh?"

"I don't think you fully appreciate your ability to change your physical continence. " Hakuba sighed "And here I put so much thought into changing my own appearance and you can do it so much quicker and simpler than me."

"Because it's temporary," I held my fingers up that were still black as I wiped them off on a cloth to show how easily it came away. "Of course it would take longer if I wanted to change my appearance for any length of time."

"It's still impressive." Hattori nodded to me. "When I tried it, everyone could tell right away it was me."

"I've had more practice," I looked at him coyly. "I'm sure you don't go around all the time where a disguise could save your life." I caught a look from Hakuba and added, "or career. I'd be a terrible thief if I couldn't impersonate people with definite results."

The convertible that Baaya drove came around the corner as our conversation ended. As she pulled up beside us, she didn't take her eyes off of Hakuba. Hattori and I got into the back seats.

"Young master, I'm sure it's not my place but I've been worrying about you recently." She shot a look back at me and Hattori. If we'd have been different ages we may have looked like brothers. "And I've noticed you've been hanging around some new people."

"Its fine Baaya. Hattori-kun is a detective like me and I've met him before… and his cousin wanted to come along." Hakuba didn't pause long when he realized he hadn't come up with an excuse or identity for me yet. "They live in Osaka so I didn't get back until recently."

"Hey cousin, sounds like Hakuba-kun didn't like bein' away from his home." I picked up the accent in a heartbeat and made it my own. I gave him an exaggeratedly sad face and stared laughing. _Annoying cousin was a role I could play._

"Knock it off… Natsuki-kun."

I stuck my tongue out at Hattori for the unimaginative name. I leaned close to him to whisper.

"Where'd that come from?"

"I was tellin' ya to knock it off and it just kinda came out…" Hattori shrugged. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing." I settled into the seat and enjoyed the feeling of the cold air flipping around the hair that stuck out of the hat.

…

"Are you sure this is the right place young master?" Baaya asked after we approached our destination, my ears becoming numb at this point.

I looked around at the dilapidated buildings and those still under construction. It was like a building graveyard for all those that didn't survive the modern age of Tokyo. I flipped open the phone to check the map again. We were less than a mile off, which is where we wanted to be since driving up didn't seem like a good idea. I looked around the area once more that seemed to suit the homeless and the desperate rather than old man and a bunch of children.

"Apparently."

* * *

...

...

Hahaha... when I was first thinking of a fake name for Kaito the one that immediately poped into my head was Natsu (and then when I looked it up it said that was a _girls _name, which made me laugh. So - I added the -ki on the end because it said 'Natsu_ki"_ could go both ways) I just thought it was funny that I almost gave him a girl's name :)


	14. Ephemeral

_I'm not a big fan of unnecessary Japanese but I DO use it_. I either need to when someone does NOT know another persons name and refers to them by title or when they can't say the person's name. It would sound weird if I used the word "old man" when the little girl talks about Jii  
I wasn't sure whether to use Ojiisan or Ojiisama (If anyone knows or sees something wrong with my honorifics please send me a message... not a reveiw) Thanks

And my foot started feeling better yesterday so thanks for caring Mysteryfan17!

It seems somone had read my mind again *whhuuuhhh* (That's a weird sound effect to spell out...)  
This time it was nequam-tenshi (don't cheat :) )  
Maybe I'm being too obvious  
And don't be mad at me (*hides in a corner*)  
Oh, and sorry if there's some ooc-ness from some of the characters... (I don't think there is but it's hard to tell when you put them in a situation you've never seen them in before)

* * *

_**Chapter 14: Ephemeral**_

We all got out of the car and Baaya refused to leave.

"I've never seen, and I don't know, either of these two and you expect me to leave you with them in this kind of neighborhood?"

"Baaya it's okay. I wouldn't want anyone else with me. Hattori-kun has proven that he's stronger than a lot of people I know and… Natsuki-kun," he stumbled on my name, "could escape a hurricane if he had too. I'll be perfectly safe."

She eyed us both and since Hattori and I were both confident in our abilities she believed it.

"Baaya you have my cell number so if you feel the need to check up on me, I will answer. If for some reason I don't, don't assume that something bad has happened. I'm on a case with Hattori-kun right now and answering my phone at an inappropriate time may not be the best course of action."

She shook her head and reversed the car into a loading area so she'd be able to turn around without getting lost. "Just don't do anything so out of character for a while. I can't believe you dyed your hair."

Hakuba's mouth twitched but whatever reaction was supposed to follow was hidden by a shiver. I wrapped my own coat closer to myself and covered the tips of my ears with the hat.

Once Baaya was out of sight we started walking. I was too cold and confused to play any tricks on them. My hands were numb and I could have pulled something off but the chances of stumbling and looking like an idiot in front of either of them dissuaded me. What Jii thought he was doing by bringing the kids here was also distracting me.

"Do you know where you're going?" I asked Hakuba, since he had taken the lead. The detective nodded to me.

"Hattori-kun clicked on it and I caught the address back at the house before you took the phone away."

"Good. Keep going and I'll meet you there." I was about to disappear into the shadows when Hakuba's slowing footsteps brought back memories. "I'm not doing anything dangerous. I've never been here before and I was planning and taking a look around."

Again I paused before disappearing. "Why does it bother you?"

"I'm a detective Kuroba-kun. I thought I would be obvious."

I sighed and fully stepped back up next to him. "It's not. Explain."

"I don't like to see people die Kuroba-kun, that includes you." He glanced over at Hattori and a small smile caught his lips. "I've been accused, if not it being implied in my direction, that I do not care. If I didn't, if I only cared about solving problems, I would have gone into the Investigations Department like my father. Unfortunately, caring is a lot harder. It would hurt me if someone died because of me or because of something I'd done or not done."

"And all the questions?"

"It's most likely a mix wanting to know and trying to care that I ask questions of the criminals I catch. I do like to solve mysteries but I also want to know why people do what they do sometimes - What would lead a person to kill another. I've run into some with reasons that I couldn't ignore in the past and I've been having second thoughts about them all my life."

"There's never a good reason" Hattori spat all of a sudden. I looked away from him when his eyes tried to meet ours.

"Not with you. I mean with killin' someone else." He elbowed me gently to show he meant nothing by it. "Some people gotta kill others to stay alive. That's still murder an' there are always ways 'round murder instead a killin' someone yerself. People just go on believin' there isn't."

"Yes, I know." Hakuba pointed to his head, "It makes sense up here but when the person is in front of you and crying because her husband was beating her kids. Crying that if she hadn't done something they would have died," Hakuba pointed to his chest. "It doesn't make sense here."

"You don't run into that thing much."

"It was the first thing I ran into," Hakuba looked away. "Maybe it's why I have such a problem with my version of right and wrong. It never follows the book."

"She just killed her husband though. That must have been hard on her and stayin' at home with her kids wouldn't have helped."

"Wouldn't it?" Hakuba looked sadder then I'd ever seen him. "She never saw her children again after that. Be the circumstances as they were, they deemed her and unfit mother and took them into protective custody. I don't know how long but she was sentenced to jail as well."

"An' you let 'em do that?" Hattori was trying to keep his voice down but he was still loud. "Why didn't ya go to court and fight fer her?"

"I was sixteen, why would they have listened to me?" There was a growl in Hakuba's voice. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Enough boys," I walked up behind them and patted Hakuba on the shoulder. "There wasn't anything you could have done. There are groups out there that are constantly trying to change, and advocate, the people caught in the legal system. Being sixteen at the time you couldn't have done anything and listening to her, feeling for her, most likely was more than anyone else had tried to do so don't worry about what you can't change."

"Ya know ya always have a way of making everything sound so simple. Like we're idiots or somethin' for not seein' it ourselves."

"No, I'm just sick of everyone arguing."

"Ya'd make a great politician if ya stopped the stealing and magic."

"Never!" I declared and spun around, releasing some of my doves feathers as I went. In the next second I was gone.

…

I reached the rooftop quickly with the help of the wire I still had connected to my body. I leaned over to watch Hattori shake his head at the feathers that were still falling and Hakuba started to walk off. Hopefully they would be able to get along while I surveyed the area.

My arm still hurt whenever I moved it even slightly. I'd learned long ago how to get by with only one but that didn't mean that everything wasn't harder and took longer than it should have.

The buildings themselves were in poor to I-can't-believe-it's-still-standing condition. My glider brought me smoothly from one to the other but there wasn't enough wind or tall… eh, structures… to get into the higher air currents.

It was almost creepy that there was no one around.

I thought I'd see at least one homeless man or deadbeat, maybe a punk or two, but I hadn't come across _anyone_. As far as I could tell Hakuba, Hattori, and I were the only living people there.

_Forget meeting them at the building, I was going to go back and find them_. Whatever was going on just wasn't normal. It was cold out so I could imagine that there wouldn't be a lot of people out but to have seen no one, even looking inside the windows, meant something was terribly wrong.

I jumped off and used the gilder to descend towards them. They weren't that far ahead of me and what wind I could catch flew me the forty or so yards to them.

"What's the matter?" Hakuba asked me as I passed overhead.

I retracted the glider and fell the five feet or so to the ground in front of them.

"What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Gee, I don't know. Ya said ya'd meet us there an' now yer suddenly comin' back. That means ya either saw somethin' or noticed somethin' that you wanted to tell us." Hattori looked at me with half closed eyes. "So ya gonna tell us or not."

"Didn't see something actually."

They both looked at me for a while before sighing. "Kuroba-kun, I thought I made it obvious at your house that I do not speak your language."

"I didn't see anything." I repeated.

"Ok, ya didn't see anythin'. Then why did ya come back?"

"I… didn't… see…anything." I annunciated each word so the detectives would get it. Both of them looked around.

"Kuroba-kun, its winter. Only crazy people like us would be outside."

"I didn't say I only looked outside."

Both shot me a steely glance before looking around again.

"Ya couldn't of just said that?" Hattori started to jog away. "I wanna take a look around too. I'll be back."

"We shouldn't split up!" Hakuba yelled towards him. "Didn't we just talk about this was Kuroba-kun took off?"

"I'm not goin' far, just hold on a second." Hattori disappeared behind one of the buildings that had fallen apart.

"You're talking about me behind my back now huh?" I raised my eyebrows

"Well I wouldn't have if you had just stayed with us."

"And if there had been danger we would have run into it without warning."

"As opposed to _you_running into it by yourself." Hakuba played with his hair again. "I know you had the right idea so let's quit arguing about it."

"We were _arguing_ about it which meant you _didn't_ think I had the right idea."

"No. That meant I didn't like it."

I didn't have anything to say back to that so we just waited in silence for Hattori to come back. When he did he was out of breath and shivering.

"Runnin' really doesn't warm ya up like they say." He huffed out. "It hurts just to breathe in this cold air."

"So?" Hakuba asked him.

"Nothin', just like he said." Hattori turned to me. "I found some traces of where people might've been livin' at one point, an' some more resent, but no people."

"Which means what?" Hakuba turned to us. "I don't see why both of you are so worried that there aren't people here. Isn't that a good thing?"

"No," My voice was quiet with a few darker undertones that had snuck in without my knowledge. "For the most part people are like animals. When we sense danger we do the rational thing and leave." I paused to smile, "unless you're me. If everyone in an area this large were to suddenly leave, well, it doesn't look to promising."

"So somethin' big went down here or is gonna happen so we'd better watch out." Hattori finished. Saying it out loud wasn't as bad as I feared when I'd seen all those empty rooms. I was just more confused why Jii had brought them all here and wondered if the old man was alone with them.

We were silent as we walked faster towards where the GPS signal was coming from. None of us could help looking out for some oncoming danger and my brain tried desperately to figure out what was going on. If there was danger, Jii wouldn't have lead me into it without warning. _Would he_?

No. I shook my head to try and get rid of the same thoughts that had floundered around me about Hakuba. I trusted the old man like I would a father and I was sure he felt the same way about me. Doubting someone close to me would only drop me deeper into paranoia.

The signal was coming from a large building that stood the test of time better than most of its companions. It was still as run down but obvious construction was underway and it seemed like we were getting closer to civilization.

We all nodded to one another as we went in. When we entered I eyed a staircase that was falling apart. I heard soft noises coming from upstairs and went after them, Hattori and Hakuba following me since I didn't think either of them could hear anything. A few cobwebs caught my face on the way up but I didn't bother brushing them away since the motion might do any number of things, most of them bad.

The indistinct sound soon made itself known as crying. It was quiet and full of high pitched tones and stutters that identified it as coming from a girl. Since it was dark outside I couldn't see well into the room, the moon from behind us was enough that whoever was there would be able to see us though.

"Saguru-niisan!" Someone small ran up and flung themselves at Hakuba as we reached the top of the steps. He would have fallen back down them if Hattori hadn't caught him. The crying hadn't stopped but it whoever was doing it clearly tried to.

"Who are you?" I heard a small voice call out, also female. I would have recognized it anywhere.

"Kei-chan it's me." I took out the white top hat and put it over my winter one.

"Help!" She ran at me and buried her face in my clothes. "Help…help…"

"What happened Kei-chan?" I wrapped my arms protectively around the girl, warming her even with my cold hands. She couldn't answer me but kept her fists tight around my jacket and her face hidden.

Hisa had apparently been doing the same thing but she was older and Hakuba knelt down on the floor where I had sat down to comfort Kei, since I couldn't support her in my arms. Hakuba tore the girl gently away so he could look her in the eye.

"Hisa-chan what happened and why are you here?" Even though I hadn't heard her crying, the eight-year old had puffy red eyes and her checks were tearstained.

"Niichan, something went wrong." She tried to cling to him again and I saw the pained look as Hakuba held her back.

"I need to know what happened."

"We… we were with these two people. I don't remember their names but they were talking to Ojiisan in a different room. There was one girl and one guy and the woman looked a little like my Okaasan. Kei-chan heard something funny but we didn't want to go in and interrupt them because that would be rude. So…" Hisa started to shake and there were new tears falling down her face.

"So Kane-kun went to go and look because Ojiisan was taking so long… I don't know what happened but he came back in the room and picked up Kei-chan he said that we were supposed to be in another room, well, he didn't really say it but Kei-chan knew and he... he… He lied!" Hakuba didn't have the heart to hold her back anymore so he let Hisa collapse against him. Kei peeked out from my shirt.

"My brother…" she wiped her tears away but more just took their place. "He had to lie. My brother had to. Ojiisan was fighting with the two. They were yelling about something I couldn't understand. My brother wanted to make sure we were safe."

"Thank you for telling us Kei-chan," I wrapped my arm more securely around her and brushed her hair out of her face, "but what happened?"

"They yelled at Ojiisan. They said that the bad guys were gonna get us. He took me from my brother and tried to run away. My brother got hurt so Ojiisan put me down…" She hiccupped and took a second to catch her breath. "Hisa-chan picked me up and Ojiisan got my brother. We ran away from them but the bad guys had guns… Ojiisan got hurt too but he brought us here." Kei looked towards the back for the room. I was still processing everything so I tensed on reflex.

My eyes narrowed as I tried to make out shapes in the darkness. My ears also tried to pick up on any kind of noise over Kei and Hisa small cries. A heard breathing, shallow and louder than it should have been. I picked Kei up and kissed her on the forehand.

"Kei-chan, can you be a good girl and stay with Hattori-kun?" Hattori understood and went to take her from me but she wouldn't let go. "Kei-chan I need see if I can help." Her cream colored eyes met my dark ones and the new look of my face.

"I knew it was you." She smiled. "When you came here."

"And how'd you know that?" I smiled back, humoring her.

"Hisa-chan said someone white was coming and I knew it was you." She looked towards the back of the room again. "You're an angel so I knew you'd come and help us."

"I don't know about all that." She released me and allowed Hattori to take her. "But I'll see what I can do." Hakuba got up and followed me with the other girl in his arms.

I came across Jii and Kane lying against the back of the wall. Jii's chest was raising and falling sharply where a bullet had gotten him in the lung. I could just see the rise and fall of Kane's chest.

I leaned over the old man first to see what I could do. I had bandages in my pocket that would have to do to seal up the hole. If air continued to escape it would only make it harder for him to breathe. I sat him up better while I covered the wound and his eyes blinked open.

"Young master…"

"Don't try to talk Jii-chan" I ripped the tape away to close up the wound, sitting him up better and seeing clearly that the bullet was still somewhere in his chest and he had bled a lot.

"No young master…" he reached his hand up to grab my wrist. "The boy is hurt badly. Get to him first."

"Fine." I huffed out a breath and laid him on his injured side, it would hurt the broken ribs but it would be easier for him to breathe.

I jump around his feet and went to the boy. I turned him over and felt the coldness of his skin against my own. Reaching around him, I tore off my jacket and snuggled him inside it.

"Kane-kun, can you hear me?"

There was no response from the boy but I saw dark marks across his skin where blood had hit him. I unwrapped my coat enough to get Kane's jacket and shirt off.

I froze when I looked at him.

He was still breathing but just barely. There was a large opened wound in the center of his chest where a bullet had hit him. The blood around it was wet, showing that he'd been bleeding out since he'd been hit. The whiteness of his skin and the ease of which I could see his veins showed the boy was about to die.

I sucked in a breath and hesitated before I got the bandages back out of my pocket. He wasn't going to make it. I knew it and no one else did. Hattori and Hakuba had kept their distance so they wouldn't upset the girls anymore than they already were. I looked at Kane and pushed aside his dark bangs that were so like unlike his sisters. His hair was thick and darker, his eyes also so much darker than hers.

And he was her _real_ angel.

I'd seen the way the boy had looked after his sister. How much he doted on her even though he was older and he knew that what she was doing was wrong sometimes. I couldn't just do nothing, even if he wouldn't make it.

I wrapped up the wound as best I could and saw that my hands were shaking. That had never happened to me before, my hands weren't supposed to shake. I'd been around death before.

_But not like this, and not this close. And it was my fault._

I could understand now how Hakuba felt so responsible for me. I was feeling the same thing at that moment. I'd left the kid's with Jii and I'd been the one who'd forgotten to call him. If I would have picked up the phone an hour earlier maybe none of this would have happened.

There was some conversation going on behind me and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Kuroba-kun what's the matter?" Hakuba's hand was steady and his voice was soft.

"It's…" I couldn't tell him. I looked down at Kane, his chest going up and down so shallowly you could hardly see it, trying to keep him alive in vain. My expression and voice gave away what he needed to know. Hakuba went over and felt for Kane's pulse.

"There's nothing we can do Kuroba-kun." He tried to comfort me but the hate his words held was staggering. I felt as if it were aimed at me, or in Hakuba's realization, at Jii which would also make it my responsibility. I couldn't breathe.

"We gotta get some help." Hattori spoke up. "Even though I can only see the blood, I know we need a ride back."

"There's no one to call…" I mumbled, shocked I'd answered him at all. I could see Hakuba's form tense and his eyes still so full of hate.

_It was my fault_. I picked up the boy and held him still in my jacket, the intense pain coming from my arm when I used it only made me want to hold on more.

"I'm sorry" I whispered to him, unsure if the unconscious boy would hear me.

"I've got someone who can pick us up." Hattori got on his phone and cursed. "Yeah, no reception. I'm gonna take the girls over to the window." Hakuba had apparently handed him Hisa as well since I noticed the detective's hands were empty.

Hattori tried again and must have gotten through.

"Hey, I need ya to pick me and them up. There are some kids to and we need to get to the hospital… Yeah, I know Kudo ain't back yet! Can he drive?... I mean legally, I'm asking fer you to come... Yeah….Yeah…Sure. I'll send ya the address." He hung up the phone.

"It's gonna be at least forty minutes. He can't get here any faster."

The detective and I didn't acknowledge him. I just sat and held Kane in my arms, rocking him slightly back and forth. Hakuba was watching me, face and body still tense.

After ten minutes I felt when Kane stopped breathing. I put him back down and Hakuba grabbed my arm.

"You should put your jacket back on, it's freezing."

His hand felt like it was burning against my wrist.

"It's fine."

"It's not fine." Hakuba was gentle with Kane and took his still form off the floor enough to get my jacket free. "I don't want you freezing to death."

"Why not?" I hadn't meant to say the words but my heart wasn't consulting with my brain any longer.

"Kuroba-kun what do you mean by that?" I had the impression that Hakuba would have hit me if he wasn't still putting Kane down.

"You're so hard on yourself when you put people in danger, you should be hard on me more so. I've gotten people killed."

"This wasn't your fault anymore then it was mine. Neither of us knew what was going to happen, if we did, it wouldn't have happened."

"I could have called."

"And done what? Gotten them shot faster? Kuroba-kun something big is happening and we can't stop it. I've stopped blaming myself now you have to stop too."

"Young master…" I heard Jii gasp out. "Young master, you can't trust anybody. Whoever…" He coughed and I saw the blood slip between his lips. "Whoever is after the kids… they're dangerous. You can't trust anyone… they might betray you… young master, I've never known… someone with so much power."

"I have." Hattori went over to the old man since I couldn't find the strength to move. "Don't worry about it."

The girls were still in his arms and I saw Kei look over at her brother. I winced and was afraid she would look at me. Afraid she would blame me.

I got up and Hakuba tried to hand me my jacket but I brushed it away.

"Kuroba-kun it's less than thirty-degrees out, even in here. Put it back on."

I made my way over to the window and ignored him, finding my cape and the small mechanism for the gilder which would stick out sharply against my black clothes.

"I'll be back," I hooked everything up and pined the cape on. "If I'm not back before the forty minutes…"

"Kuroba-kun you can't run away from this." The pain and anger in Hakuba's voice made me stop. It wouldn't be fair to him. I couldn't leave him behind to deal with everything while I took off, even if Hattori was there. I shot him a sad smile.

"Just give a few minutes then, I swear I'll be back." I threw the thin wire onto the roof of the building. I watched Hakuba but he made no sign of accepting my departure or trying to prevent it so I left.

Once on the roof I let the wind take the glider, without looking for any certain destination. It took me to a dark building made of metal graters and cold cement flooring which was still under construction, new unlike the other ones which looked like they were being refurbished instead of rebuilt.

When I swooped in I let the glider collapse later than I should have and cursed to myself when I hit my knee hard against the cement.

I couldn't stop my body shaking but most of it was from the cold. I was stubborn and should have taken my jacket back. I laughed a little to myself at how stupid I was being.

Laughing made crying seem easier. I didn't want to do it in front of the girls because I knew it would upset them. So I cried and laughed at myself while I did, chiding myself for how stupid I was and how stupid life was and how stupidly cold the concrete floor was.

The cold probably made me stop sooner than I would have since my body couldn't keep laughing, crying, and shivering without wearing down. I wrapped my arms around my knees like a child while I let myself come to terms with everything. Once I'd let out all my sadness and frustration I let me mind think.

A familiar anger came over me; one I'd only discover when I found the people responsible for killing my father. I didn't think I'd ever be so determined to stop anything as much as I was then but… whoever it was that was responsible for this. Whoever was after the kids...

They were going to pay.


	15. If Only, If Only

Ok, for giving credit so that I'm NOT copyrighting anything, the lyrics (yes they are lyrics! They did come from the movie 'Holes' I HATE that movie so much!)  
Are from The song "If Only" By Fiction Plane and whoever has rights to that song.  
It was stuck in my mind and somehow became a large part of this chapter :) (but I HATE 'Holes' SO MUCH!) Ah... don't be mad at me, I just can't stand it

Some OOC-ness, had to put it in there (it's only in the beginning)

And yes! They get way off topic in the story (they're all a little vulnerable right now so I had to give them something to talk about)

Thanks for reviewing, it's part of the reason I've been able to update so quickly! (though I am getting stuck at a lot more parts now)  
Hey, but I've been able to explain a little more about the kids!  
Keep reviewing that thank you!

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_**Chapter 15: If Only, If Only**_

I don't know how long I was gone but Kei was wrapped in Hattori's arms and Hakuba was leaning over Jii, trying to help him. Hisa was off in the corner and it looked like she'd fallen asleep.

I couldn't believe what an awful person I was. I shouldn't have left them alone.

They all turned to look at me when I came in the window, Hakuba looking away first and Hattori shooting me a ghost of a smile. Kei looked up for a second as well before snuggling back into his arms. I tried to smile back.

"I'm sorry." I bent over Hakuba and drew my hand back before touching him. The detective didn't seem to take my kindnesses to well, especially when he was mad at me, which I knew he was. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left."

I saw him tremble as he wiped some of the blood from Jii's mouth, the man was unconscious and on his side.

"It's so easy for you to leave…" He clenched his fists. "Don't you think that I wanted to leave as well? Don't you think that I wanted nothing more than to run out of this building and be alone too?"

My throat was tight and I couldn't answer him. I really hadn't thought much about it at the time. Hakuba looked at the floor like he was about to cry but I knew he wouldn't, not in front of anyone at least.

Forget sentiments and repercussions. I wrapped my arms around him, hurting us both because of our injuries. I was at his side so the hug wasn't as personal; it was more protective and indirect. Hakuba tried to push me off but stopped after the first attempted, when he realized he hit my bad shoulder.

"Kuroba-kun let me go!" He growled.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking when I left," was all the explanation I gave him. He struggled against me, searching for a way to make me let go without hurting me any further. He gave up after a minute and I felt his body relax.

"How could you leave?" He put a hand up to one of his eyes and I saw that tears he was trying to hide. I let go of his front but kept on arm securely around his back so the detective wouldn't feel so crowded.

"I'm an idiot remember."

He laughed at that as he wiped them away.

"Yeah. Um… Kuroba-kun can you really let me go? I'm fine now."

"Sorry," I retracted my remaining arm and smiled at him. "It's just when I went off, I thought the one thing I really wanted at the time was someone to hold me. We're different people and I should have realized it didn't translate over."

"No," Hakuba shook his head and laughed again and shivered. "That wasn't it. When you had your arm by my neck you froze me."

"Oops, ah sorry." I reached over for my jacket. "I really should have taken it." I was still shivering a lot and the jacket was the same temperature as my skin when I put it back on.

"How long was I gone?"

"A little less then fifteen minutes." Hattori flipped open his phone to check. "You came back faster'n I thought ya would."

Hakuba leaned against the wall next to Jii and let out an uneven sigh. "So now we have to sit and wait again. I'm looking forward to it."

"Huh?" I looked at him questioningly as he closed his eyes, one of them peeked open.

"It seems that I've either been dealing with physical or emotional problems recently. My mind isn't where it should be," The detective looked over at Kane's still form. "I'd like some time to not think about anything for a while."

"I didn't know there was an on-off switch," I smiled.

"If only there was…" Hakuba closed his eyes again.

"The woodpecker sighs."

It took a few second but Hakuba opened them again to stare lazily at me.

"Now what does that mean?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "It was part of a song or something. I'm not sure where I picked it up."

"You know that sounds familiar… somethin' 'bout a bird and the moon." Hattori cut in. "How did it go? I always wondered."

"_'If only, if only' the woodpecker sighs. 'The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies'. A wolf waits below, hungry and lonely. He crys to the moon. 'If only, if only'_… or something like that, I'm not too familiar with it, some parts just stuck in my head."

"Not yer burst of inspiration is it?" Hattori smiled. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked."

"I've never thought of it as sad" I mumbled to myself, receiving confused looks from both of them. "Thinking that way, especially when things are hard, shows you still have enough hope to dream and carry on with your life." I laughed a little, "and it's fun to think of trees feeling like clouds."

"Ya know yer really odd." Hattori smiled at me, "but that's a good thing fer you."

"I wonder why it's a wolf and a woodpecker…" Hakuba trailed off.

"Maybe because they're so different." I wasn't really answering his question, just thinking aloud. "You have a predator and an insectivore that wouldn't seem strange to be seen together and yet they don't hurt one another." I chucked, "At least I've never seen a wolf go after a woodpecker or vice-versa."

"An' they're both dreamin' together. Kinda reminds me of you guys."

"Hey, I am not like that." I folded my arms across my chest carefully. "I don't sit there and dream of things changing, I change them myself."

Hakuba yawned. "I wouldn't put it past you. I guess that would make _you_ the woodpecker who wants the impossible."

"No," I smiled to myself and thought of all the gems I'd stolen, returned, and had to still take. I didn't even know if I could find Pandora but that wasn't going to stop me. "I'm more like the wolf crying to the moon."

"How so?"

"Forget it," I tried to brush the detective off but both of them were looking at me with open curiosity.

"I woulda pegged ya for the woodpecker too. Why the wolf?"

"No reason really, it doesn't matter."

Kei pushed herself out of Hattori's arms and looked at me with her red eyes; there was familiarity there that I wasn't sure how to respond to. She freed herself the rest of the way and went over to hug me. I was amazed that she was in the same room, let alone willing embracing me.

"You miss your daddy just like I miss my brother." She snuggled herself into my jacket. "I'm sorry but I was mad at you. I didn't know you hurt too."

I swallowed hard. "Kei-chan, how did you know that?"

She looked up and me and touched the left side of my chest. "I hear everything, even what people don't say." She started crying, "Most of the time they are bad things but not with you or with them," she smiled a little bit as her eyes closed and she rested comfortably against me. "That's why the bad people want me dead."

I held her as she fell asleep in my lap. Her skin was warm and I felt bad since I would only be making her colder.

"Believe it or not, Kei-chan's one of the main reasons I asked you to help me." Hakuba spoke up. "She said that you wanted to save everyone. It's why she let go of me so easily in the fire."

"What's that 'bout yer da-" Hakuba held out an arm to stop Hattori from continuing even though he wasn't near the other teen.

"Kuroba-kun I don't see how it matters now but if it's bothering you, and if you want to, you can tell us. I've already told you that I'm not going to hold any piece of evidence or knowledge over your hand and Hattori-kun has said the same."

"I'm sorry, but I can't," my voice was soft. "Can you pretend you didn't hear that?"

"Sorry we've already heard it and it's going to affect how we feel whether we want it to or not." Hakuba waved me off, "but I won't delve into it since it seems important to you that I don't."

"It's part of that '_will keep us both safer'_ policy I have going."

"You're father is? I don't see how."

"Which is a good thing, and which is why I can't talk about it." I chucked darkly, "I know you can't help it but try not to put the little pieces of information you have together."

"Like you said, it's impossible for me not to do that. I'm still getting blank so you don't have to worry."

"I ain't getting blank but what I'm seein' is too familiar." Hattori lifted a knee and put his hand on his forehead. "So I'm probably just addin' parts that I don't have so I can get some sorta picture."

"Then try not to think about it anymore."

"Hey, I've got two things that I can sit here for the…" he checked his phone, "next twenty minutes an' think about. I don't wantta think about the other."

"You've made several implications that you know who the people we're looking for are. Do you?" Hakuba asked him.

"What implications?"

Hakuba turned to me. "I'm sure you've had other things on your mind but Hattori has mentioned twice now that he knows who these people are and just recently confirmed that he's almost certain it's them."

"'Course the detective would rat me out." Hattori snickered. "I ain't sure it's them _yet, _I wanted to talk to someone 'bout it but they're not pickin' up their phone. I tried when he went out."

I felt my stomach growl and Kei giggled as it woke her up.

"Sorry."

"I'm hungry too." She looked at the others. "They ate something today but I can wait. I'm good at waiting." She watched me. "You didn't eat."

"Seems I was distracted by someone," I tickled her and a got a laugh. "Don't worry, I can wait too."

"Kuroba-kun you've been at your house all day and didn't eat anything?" Hakuba looked at me like I was crazy.

"I wasn't home for your information. You ran off so I decided to take the rest of the day for myself too. You were lucky to catch my in the first place." Kei held me tighter before I spoke again. "It's part of the reason I feel so bad about everything. I could have done something but I was off having a good time."

"And I was off acting like a child and making Hattori-kun baby-sit me. We both had our reasons at the time and didn't know they were in danger."

"I know." I sighed and pushed Kei's hair out of her face, it was thin but her bangs had grown long enough to hit her in the eyes. "I could have at least eaten."

"Ya, I had to make him." Hattori pointed at Hakuba. "He was complainin' about me followin' him so I finally said that all the yellin' was gonna make him hungry, and he wouldn't be able to do it anymore, so he agreed to get some food with me."

"It seems we've gotten off subject again," Hakuba intoned dryly. "I would like to know who these people we may or may not be up against are."

Hattori's easy smile and careless posture disappeared. "I ain't sure it's them yet."

"But if it is, who are they?"

"I don't know much myself either. I get all my info secondhand so I don't have much. What I do know is that they're killers in every sense of the word. They don't like havin' anythin' connected to them either so it's sense that, if the kids were connected to 'em…" his eyes were serious when they met ours. "They would do _anythin'_ in their power to kill 'em. They've got a lot of backers out there in high-end corporations and stuff too. We've had a guess that there's a bunch of 'em in the government as well."

"We?" Hakuba asked.

"Ah…" Hattori looked at me.

"Him and Kudo-kun… How did you two get involved with them?"

"Well I kinda thought ya knew that." Hattori looked off to the side. "I don't know if I should be tellin' ya that kinda stuff without him."

"I'll talk to him later about it then."

Hakuba held out his hands. "Wait, wait a minute. I've heard his name several times now but I don't know how Kudo-kun's involved with any of this so why do you keep bringing him up?"

"Kudo has more than enough to put up with and can't help us directly. If you recall he was the one I called that night to pick us up. He also seems so be dealing with things I haven't comprehended before now, so he's only helping when he can."

"I'd like to be in his seat."

"No ya wouldn't" Hattori yelled, looking away from him. "Ya don't know anythin' about what Kudo's gonin' through so don't ever say that in front of me again!"

We'd all stilled and Hattori was staring daggers at Hakuba.

"He doesn't know. _I _don't even fully know what's going on. Stop it Hattori-kun." I tried to relax the situation but I didn't seem to work. Kei peeked her head out of my shirt.

"Hattori-niisan, Saguru-niichan doesn't know. Don't get mad at him." She turned to Hakuba, "and Saguru-niichan, Kudo-niisan is trying to help but he can't right now. Don't be mad at him either."

Both of them shot me an icy look and I pointed to the girl.

"Hey I didn't say anything!" Kei just curled up in my lap again with a smile on her face. Both of them relaxed and Hattori looked at Hakuba apologetically, though he didn't say anything. I was getting tired of everyone fighting.

My back straightened and Kei perked up just a few seconds later. "Let's go." I handed her over to Hattori but he wouldn't take her.

"I take it that means our rides here. Geez you got good ears. You take the girl and I'll help the old man."

"No-"

"Hey! I said I got the old man. Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt him. You wouldn't be able to carry him even if you tried. "

I frowned at him for a second before nodding. "Thanks, I'll come back up for Kane-kun." I thought about only implying it but Kei would have known what I was talking about anyway. I made it down the stairs first since I already had Kei in my hand and Hakuba still need to wake Hisa up.

Professor Agasa was down the street a bit since the addresses on some of the buildings were next to illegible and he didn't have a GPS function like I had. I waved him over and he stared blankly at me for a second before coming.

"Where's Hattori-kun?" He asked when I placed Kei in the seat next to him.

"He's still in the house and the person he's with is injured so we need to get to the hospital as quickly as we can."

"Ahem...ah, who are you?"

I frowned at him for a second before remembering my very different appearance. "Kid."

"Ah, sorry, I should have realized it." The professor straightened up and eyed the girl. "How many are you trying to fit?"

"There are two…" I stopped and took in another breath. "There's one other child with Hakuba-kun and Hattori has… the person who's injured." I eyed his small car and counted in my head. "We should fit."

Hakuba came out the entrance just as I was going back in. "Hakuba-kun, sit by the window behind Kei-chan and let Hattori-kun put Jii-chan in the middle so that you and me can keep him steady."

"Sure, wait. Where's Hattori-kun supposed to sit?" Hakuba was almost at the car when he stopped.

"Tell him to sit up front with Kei-chan. There's not much room."

"O…kay," Something else must have crossed the detectives mind but he let it go as he got in the car with Hisa.

I had to wait at the bottom of the stairs for Hattori. He had Jii on his back so that his ribs wouldn't do anymore damage to his lung. Hattori was clearly struggling under the man's weight but when he reached the bottom he refused my help.

"I got it. We really need to get this guy to a hospital. I don't know now long ya can survive with a collapsed lung but it can't be long." He took in a big breath and went off to the car. It amazed me how Hattori could carry Jii when he must have been almost twice his size and weight.

I went up and placed my jacket around Kane. It wouldn't help the boy but it would make me feel better and the car had heat. I stopped for a second to look at him.

Kane was small for a ten-year old and he'd shown more responsibility and tact than I knew I had at that age. I had to use both arms to carry him but I didn't really care. I just wished I could have been there for him when he had needed me.

When I got to the car Hattori was taking deep breaths in the front seat and sharing some dark looks with Hakuba.

"What's wrong?"

"We've got a problem." Hattori sighed and rested his arm against the door frame.

"What is it?"

"It's in your arms." He looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Huh?"

"Kuroba-kun," Hakuba cut in since he was sitting right next to me "I know that we've all agreed that nothing was our fault but wouldn't it seem strange if we came in with a little boy who none of us were related to, dead? It would draw suspicion and I can't let anyone know about this case yet."

"So what are we going to do with him?" I propped Kane's body up better so I could look over at the detective when I shut the door.

"I'm not sure. I could call his parents but…" Hakuba stared drumming his fingers on the handle, smiling darkly. "They're going to kill me."

"I'm surprised they let ya take this case on. Why didn't they got to someone better known? Or the police?" Hattori craned his neck over the seat to look at Hakuba, "It just doesn't make sense to me. Not that I'm sayin' yer bad or anythin'."

"Because I'm not well known." The detective leaned back and Hisa stretched. "What they did to the children wasn't legal but I'm family and I'm a detective _and I can't be traced._ No one would think I had them. Maybe the families knew who was after them and they just wanted to cover their trial," he laughed humorlessly, "Maybe I'm just bait to wipe away their mistake without them feeling as if they'd done nothing to pervent it."

"Don't think like that." I would have knocked him if I could have reached over Jii, "You go call the kids parents and we'll drop him off at… ah. Hey Hakase, there's no way you'll let us use your house is there?"

"None," he confirmed. "Ai-kun's still there and I don't think it would be good for her, she hasn't been herself lately."

"Gotcha… I guess we could…" Hattori pondered with me.

"Mom shouldn't mind. Let me call her." I reached an arm for Hakuba to give him his phone.

"Kuroba-kun don't you have… ah, sorry." He shook his head for a second before remembering everyone already knew who I was. "Don't you have a phone? I've called you before."

"Yeah but I left it at…Hey!" I turned sharply to face him, "How did you get my number that time?"

"My father is in the investigations department." He tapped the side of his head, "It was easy." He handed over his phone.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and called up my mom. Hattori already started directing the professor to my house and I felt a stab of nervousness before shoving it away. _So what if the whole world knew where I lived now?_

"Hello?" My mom's voice was tired and it occurred to me how late it was.

"Sorry Okaasan, um…" I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say to her. "Something happened and Hakuba-kun needs to call one of the kid's parents but… we need somewhere to put them while we wait. Can, can we keep them at home?"

I heard my mom take in a shuddering breath, "Who was it?"

_Of course she picked up on my hidden words. _"Kane-kun."

"Sure, I'll leave the front door unlocked but I don't think I'll be able to stay awake. What happened? Are the other children all right?"

"Their fine," I reassured her. "Jii-chan's hurt and needs to get to the hospital then I'm stopping by someone I know to see if I can get some answers. I'm going to keep the girls with me."

"Okay Kaito. If you need me, I'm here." There was a smile in her voice laced with the sadness.

"Thanks mom." I hung up and handed the phone back. "You should call their parents." I closed my eyes and tried to picture the man who'd taken Kei from me after the fire but his image was indistinct.

"I know," Hakuba opened the phone back up and scrolled through to find the number. He sighed and put it to his ear as he closed his eyes. Kei crawled over Hattori to look at him.

"Don't listen to mommy. She's just scared."

Hakuba smiled at her. "I know Kei-chan, I just wish I didn't have to make this call."

"Me too," Her smile went away but she didn't sit back down. Hattori put his hands to her waist to keep her from falling over when the car turned.

"Hello…" Hakuba replied to the phone, with all the outside noise I couldn't tell what was being said but I heard yelling. "I'm sorry its late… yes… yes…" Hakuba swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yes… Kane-kun."

Hakuba held the phone away as the person on the other line was in hysterics, the detective was shaking and had his eyes closed. When the yelling was bearable he put the phone back. "I'm sorry… I know… I know… It's not…" His breath caught in his throat and I was tempted to take the phone from him. Whoever was on the other end was clearly blaming the detective and, even though I could understand why, Hakuba was with me and _I knew_ he was hurting and I _knew_ how bad he felt.

Kei beat me too it.

She leaned far over the seat and if Hisa hadn't held her up she would have fallen on top of her.

"Mommy be quiet!"

Hattori turned around and leaned over, trying to pick her back up, but she shoved him away. "Saguru-niichan helped us mommy and you didn't! Ojiisan got hurt too just like my Niichan!... Stop yelling mommy! Everyone's hurting and you're just making it worse!" Kei cried into the phone and at this point I took it away from her.

"Hello, Kei-chan's mother I presume."

"And so what if it is? Who the hell is this and what happened to my little boy!"

"He was left with an acquaintance of _mine_" I stressed, "at a place we thought was safe. My acquaintance is critically hurt and he did everything he could to save your son, I would appreciate if you didn't blame anyone for trying their best."

"What would you know? You sound like a brat yourself! That damned brat thinks he's such a great detective and he couldn't even save my son! You have no business telling me what to do!"

I could see how she'd rattled Hakuba. Whoever had placed him in charge of helping the children must have done so behind her back since the venom in her words aimed at him seemed like it had been there for a long time.

"I have no business at all telling you what to do. I'm just saying that it wasn't from lack to effort that we lost your son." I looked down at Kane in my arms. "We have him with us and I was personally with him when he died and can tell you that we honestly did everything that we could. I know you don't want to go the police so if you would like to pick him up, you can do so. I'll send you an address."

"Who the hell do you think you are? I don't remember anyone mentioning another _child_," she spat. "Taking _my_ children! I want Kei-chan back too! Give them both to me and I'll go to wherever the hell you want!"

I looked at Kei and she shook her head vigorously. I mouthed _I'm sorry_ to her since I had no say over her safety. I smiled coyly to myself and thought that Kid might have something to say about it though. Kei caught onto my thoughts and nodded.

"Sure. Since you sound distraught, I'm afraid that meeting you at my house is less then favorable. We can meet wherever you want."

Kei's mother swore at me before giving me an address and a time for tomorrow. I eyed Hattori when I repeated them aloud. He glanced at the professor who slumped over as he drove and nodded. We'd need a ride. I hung up the phone and handed it back to Hakuba.

"Thank you Kuroba-kun… I don't think I would have had a very productive conversation with her."

"It's fine." I eyed Kei and smiled, "Are you ready to get stolen?"

"Yeah!" She jumped up where she was still on Hakuba's lap and hit Hisa. Hattori pulled her back into the front this time, despite her struggles. He kept kneeling on the seat to face us instead of turning back around and Kei stood beside him.

"What are ya talkin' about?"

"Kei-chan's mom wants her back but that will only put her in the open. Since puttering her in danger is a bad idea and keeping her against her mother's will is illegal, it seems I'll have to steal her."

"You've got to be kidding me." Hakuba put a hand to his head. "Do you know how many cops will be involved if you kidnap a child, even for her own good?"

"Then I won't tell the cops," I lost my smile, but I decided this was one time they wouldn't get a warning. "I'll make sure I take Kei-chan where her mother can see me and if she wants to get the police involved, let her" I smugly told him, more in daring to her if she tried to go against me. "But I don't think she will."

"And if she does?"

"Yeah, yer a good guy but I don't think anyone'd take kindly to Kid stealing a child."

"I'll have a bad reputation then, so what? At least Kei-chan will be safe." I reached over and touched her lightly on the nose, "I'll return her when this is all over and after we get back from…" I stopped, about to say _Kudo's_… "Professor Agasa's house she can hang out in the secret room. It' safe enough and I trust my own house."

"Like I said, yer crazy." Hattori smiled at me. "Don't scare her too much."

"Who?"

"The mom, I heard ya talkin' to her. I never heard ya talk civilly to someone like that unless ya where really mad at 'em and couldn't talk normally." He laughed, "I think ya must have picked it up bein' Kid. Ya get so mad ya just default to another mind set so ya don't go raving off on the person. Ya did it when Hakuba left at the station too."

"I never noticed." I thought back but couldn't picture myself getting mad at anyone but Aoko, and with her I always acted my usual self.

"I don't think ya really get mad a lot. I'm not talkin' about normal _I got a B instead of an A_ _on my English test_ mad, I mean like ya would a hit the person if they were close enough an' not feel bad about it mad."

I shrugged and laid against Jii. The man had been unconscious the whole ride and I was nervously trying not to think about it. Kane's body in my arms made sure I had other things on my mind.

"Why can't anything with you detectives ever be easy?" I moaned to myself.

"If only… If only…" Hattori started laughing.


	16. Laughing

Yes, I'm updating amazingly fast (I'm just that cool :) )  
But I won't be able to continue this because I have my friends birthday tomorrow and my brother's the next day  
I'M GOING TO GET SO MUCH CAKE! (ahem)

There WILL BE STRONG(ish) LANGUAGE IN THIS CHAPTER! (since I am bringing the mother in)  
Just warning you, it's not that bad but it's obvious

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_**Chapter 16: Laughing**_

The minute we got to my place I put Kane in the back room and raided the Kitchen. Kei was close behind me and we made quick work of the leftover food my mom must have made for dinner.

I had to wash the blood off my hands from holding Kane which would have put me off my appetite if my body wasn't craving nutrition. I was so tired I thought I'd fall asleep right after that but got back in the car after Hattori came into the house and dragged me out. The professor did his best to be inconspicuous and kept out of our conversation since he didn't want to be involved any further then he had to.

"Ya really shouldn't starve yerself."

"I didn't mean too. Hisa-chan weren't you hungry?" I asked as I rounded the car. Hisa still refused to look at me but she shook her head.

"We had lunch and there were some raspberries that we had for a snack but Kei-chan didn't like them. That's why she was still hungry."

"Raspberries are gross," she stuck her tongue out at the older girl and turned to smile at me. "You don't like them either."

"Nope," I messed up Kei's hair and took her into the back seat with me. "Too sour for me."

"Yuck sour!" she giggled and I couldn't help smiling even with everything that had happened. She looked at me, her own smile sadder than it had been a second ago.

"You could just ask."

"Ask you what?" I closed the door, Hakuba had stayed in the car to watch over Jii and Hisa crawled back into his lap from where she'd been fidgeting in my seat while I was gone.

"You want to know how I can do it right?"

"Do what?"

"Laugh"

The car started to take off and I hugged her close to me in my lap. Without Kane she'd taken her place with me instead of Hattori.

"I was concerned about it." I looked back at my house as if faded off into the distance. "I don't think I was able to laugh when…" I trailed off but I was sure Kei received the rest of my sentiment.

"Sometimes it's good, to hear what people don't say." She put a tiny hand up to my face and brushed it across my check. "It makes it easier and you know people care about you." There were tears falling down her face but she kept smiling, "and you know they mean it."

"I always mean what I say and do, most of the time anyway." Aoko couldn't know some things in my life but secrets were different from outright lying. "You know I'm going to get you back from your mom tomorrow right? Or do you want to stay with her?" Kei shook her head and looked down at her feet.

"But I shouldn't stay with you either. You'll get hurt, like my brother." She started crying more.

"Don't worry Kei-chan, nothing can stop me from getting what I want." I tried to comfort her. "And I've had a lot of people try."

"No…" She tried to wipe her tears from her face but couldn't stop them. "The bad people with kill you…"

"I've had bad people try to kill me before and look, I'm still here."

Kei shook her head, "You don't know, these bad people kill lots of people. When we were running away I heard… bad things." She stifled a hiccup. "I don't want you to die."

"Hey, Kei-chan," Hattori leaned over the seat to face her. "Ya can hear what I think or somethin' like that right? These bad people aren't gonna get ya or any of us, trust me." He smiled. "I don't think they'd fare so good goin' up against Kid anyway."

Whatever Hattori meant had gotten through. Kei's crying slowed and she lay slack in my arms, falling asleep. "Be careful, they _are_ bad people" she whispered to me and reached up an arm without looking and caught my collar.

"Well I'm pretty sure of it now 'cause the girl didn't correct me when I thought 'bout 'em. That means she musta seen similarities between who I was thinkin' about and who the other people were thinkin' about." Hattori leaned forward again. "That ain't good."

"We'll talk about it later," I told him. "I don't want Kei-chan in the room when we do, it will worry her too much."

"Yer really protective of the kids ain't ya?" I heard Hattori sigh, "You haven't even know 'em fer more than a few days, if that."

"They're kids, how could I not be protective of them?"

"They're kids who are in danger because of the things their parents did." Hakuba joined in on the conversation and I'd almost forgotten he was there. "I think that has something to do with it as well. They're innocent. I know you'll probably want to punch me for saying it but Kane-kun and Kei-chan reminded me a lot of you and your mother Kuroba-kun."

"How?"

"She knows things that she doesn't tell you because she doesn't want to worry you but you insist on going around and trying to protect everyone. From what I'm not sure, I took the liberty of looking a few articles about you when Hattori-kun was following me around. The safety of everyone seems to be you main concern whenever you steal anything." He looked down at Kei, "I'm sure she noticed the resemblance between you and her brother which is why she's been clinging to you."

I would have started up an argument with him but we arrived at the hospital seconds later. I got out of the car with Kei and Hattori ran in to get someone to help Jii. I felt bad for the old man but there was nothing I could do besides close the wound and get him help as quickly as I could after I'd dealt with Kane-kun. The hospital paramedics came out and helped him out of the car and onto a stretcher.

He was wheeled in and one of the attendants turned to Hattori. He spoke with her before coming back to the car.

"Since the guy's been shot they need someone to stay with him. There's no way I'm stayin' here instead of goin' back with you two so who is?"

I took a card out and grabbed a pen. I wrote Jii's full name, occupation, address and my home phone number before leaning forward and handing it to the professor.

"Can you stay and answer any questions they have? Make up some cover story since we really don't know anything about the shooters and if they need anything they can call my mom. Jii-chan doesn't have any relatives that I know of."

"Why me?" Agasa asked as he turned to face me.

"Because I need to talk to Conan-kun when we get to your house, it's Hakuba-kun's case, and Hattori would beat up anyone who got in his way at this point so that only leaves you."

"And how would you get back to my house?"

I held out my hand. "Give me your keys."

"You can drive?" they all asked me simultaneously. I raised my eyebrows.

"With all you know I can do, you're surprised I have experience with cars?" I asked them. Hakuba rubbed his shoulder.

"I hope they were good experiences."

I snatched the keys from the professor as he got slowly out and I climbed into his seat without getting out of the car. It took a minute for me to readjust everything and I looked back at the detective and winked. "Most of them were."

"I can't believe I'm letting you take my car." The professor muttered before leaving. "Hattori-kun," he peered over the car at the Osakan detective for a moment who was getting back in. "Ai-kun is back and in the basement so make sure you let her know you're there."

"I gotcha, don't worry 'bout it." Hattori waved him off as he got in the seat next to me. I had placed Kei in Hakuba's lap so she wouldn't fall off the seat while she was unconscious and Hisa seemed to be enjoying all the free space she now had. I took off and nodded to the professor.

"Don't worry about the car, I'm not going to do anything bad to it." The downtrodden look didn't leave his face and he walked slowly into the building. '_Hopefully_' I muttered under my breath. Hattori caught it and smiled at me.

"As long as ya don't kill us, I'm fine with it."

I took him at his word.

I pulled a few corners a little too sharply. I wasn't used to driving since the glider was so much easier to use once I started acting as Kid. Mom liked that her car didn't mysteriously loose a few gallons of gas anymore, when she rented one as needed, but it was one of the things that probably tipped her off to what I was doing.

Kei woke up and looked around in a daze before laughing when I took another sharp turn, skidding the tires . The smile across my face warned Hattori and he grabbed onto the side of the door.

"Ya said ya wouldn't kill us remember?"

"I won't." I stepped on the gas and the car went from twenty-five to forty in seconds.

"Kuroba-kun what are you doing?" Hakuba looked over at me from the side but I couldn't see his expression.

"I'm just having fun," I turned to him and scared the hell out of everyone as I took my eyes off the road. "It's fun, right Kei-chan?"

She giggled at me and even Hisa was smiling and looking out the window as the lights went by.

"Okay, ya can look at the road again please." Hattori's other arm grabbed onto his seat and when I turned back the speedometer had gone up to fifty.

"Kei-chan, Hisa-chan," I asked. "Should I go faster?"

"Please don't." Hakuba's voice was panicked and he held onto Hattori's seat, trying to keep Kei in his arms.

"Faster!" Kei shouted as I slowed down just enough to take the next turn without flipping us over.

"Stop okay! I take it back! I care if ya _think_ ya won't kill us too!"

I stepped back on the gas and hit fifty-five when I saw flashing lights behind me.

"Oh oh," I smiled. "Seems like you can't have things your way Hattori-kun."

"Kuroba-kun just pull over, please?" Hakuba held on tighter and tried to reason with me, "Your good shoulder's still hurt so I know you're only driving with your left hand. You don't want to get us killed do you?"

I looked over at Kei and winked. "Hakuba-kun thinks I'm going to kill us. What do you think?"

"Faster!" She yelled and I smiled.

"That's what I was thinking too."

"Oi, if I live through this, remind me never ta get in a car with you again." Hattori closed his eyes and held on tightly as I hit speeds over seventy on the slow, suburban roads. I heard gasps from the both of them as I had to swerve to avoid a few cars that were out way-to-early in the morning like us. The girls just laughed.

I lost the flashing lights after a few minutes and swung the car around. I'd purposely been going off in the wrong direction so we wouldn't be bothered on our way to the professor's. I eased off the gas and let the car go the appointed speed limit. If the police did catch a glace of the hard-to-miss yellow paint, they weren't close enough to make out the plates and Hakase was at the hospital so they couldn't blame him, with no one at his house old enough to drive.

It took a while for the other two to relax and Hattori started laughing.

"You know I've been in car chases before an' I didn't think this little thing could go that fast. Ya really shouldn't be breakin' the law when you don't hafta."

"But I did have to." I looked back at both the happy girls and smiled at the mirror. "I should be over any illegal activities until tomorrow."

"Kuroba-kun," I heard how mad Hakuba was at me and my smiled faltered slightly.

"Yeah?"

"If you ever do that with me… no, if you ever do that again _with anyone_ and I find out, so help me you will never see the light of day again!"

"Hey, no one got hurt and if we were really in danger I would have stopped."

"Your definition of 'danger' is so off skew that your statement does nothing, if not worry me more. Do not go recklessly speeding _anywhere_ again."

"Sure thing mother," I was tempted to do something the detective would think was 'recklessly dangerous' when Hattori caught my eye.

"Let it be fer now," he yawned. "It's gotta be like four in the morning and I really need to get some sleep. I didn't take a nap in the middle of the day like you two." He closed his eyes and leaned up against the window.

"I'm sleepy," Kei yawned as well, crawling in the front seat and laying down in my lap. She was small enough that she wasn't going to be hitting the wheel and I could maneuver my arms around her.

"What about you peanut gallery? How are you holding up?"

Hakuba folded his arms and blinked a few times. "I was feeling tired before you took us on the car ride of death," he rubbed his eyes. "I'm sure it's going to hit me again soon."

"We'll wait for tomorrow before we figure anything out. I'll deal with Kei-chan's mom first and then we'll settle things with… Kudo-kun."

"I still don't understand what he has to do with any of this but it's clear to me that you and Hattori-kun think differently. I'll find out when I need to."

It only took me a few minutes to get to the professor's. I woke Hattori up and he went to the door while I got Kei and Hakuba stirred Hisa. With both girls in our arms we met Hattori at the door. He held out his hands to take Kei.

"What's wrong?"

"Hakase didn't leave the door unlock, ya need to get us in."

"Oh." I handed her over to him and dug around the inner pocket of the jacket. I grabbed three oddly shaped pieces of metal wire and took a few seconds to unlock the door. I took a few more seconds to get the bolt.

"I'm not condoning it but you can pick a lock faster than I expected," Hakuba said when I stood up and opened the door.

"If there's something you need to be good at as a thief, it's picking a lock and being able to slip out of handcuffs," I smiled. "You've yet to get that far."

"I've gotten you into handcuffs." He sighed to himself. "I never should have let you go."

"You didn't have proof it was me and Nakamori-jisan would have gotten mad if you didn't."

"How did you pull that off?" Hakuba narrowed his eyes at me, sleep making them less then focused. "I had you handcuffed when 'Kid'" He air quoted, "showed up. There was no way you were in two places at once."

"It's a secret," I put my finger up to my lips. "I can't give everything away."

"Can we go in now or do ya want me to fall asleep against the house?" Hattori grumbled. I grabbed his jacket and shoved him in the door.

"You didn't have to just stand there."

"Too tired to think," Hattori almost walked into a wall since his eyes were half closed. "Damn it," he sighed. "Ai-kun! I know yer down in the lab but we're takin' yer bed, you can take the professor's. There are people with me but! …" apparently Hattori wasn't even up to finishing his sentence. He laughed to himself, "I forget what I was gonna say. Leave the door unlocked, Ku-u-Conan-kun should be over in the morning an' he's gotta get me up. There's an extra bed…" Hattori looked lazily around the room. "…somewhere, sorry." He rubbed his eyes but it was clear he was exhausted.

"I'll find it." I put Kei more comfortably on my shoulder so that I'd be able to use my arms. There were a few spare futons folded in the main closet and I took two of them out. Coming back, Hattori went over and grabbed one from me before falling asleep on the floor.

Hakuba was already in one of the beds and asleep even though he said he hadn't been tired. I smiled at Hattori and realized that, even beat as he was, he didn't take the last bed. I put Kei down and called over Hisa who was sitting on the floor next to Hakuba.

"Come here," I patted the bed and I shook my head when I noticed that it would come across like I was calling some sort of dog. Hisa came over anyway and I situated them both in the bed before going over to the other futon. I wasn't going to make the kids sleep on the floor.

When I sat down the on the mattress I sighed to myself and got back up. I tried not to stir the detective as I sat on his bed and watched the girls. Kei had fallen asleep but Hisa was still fidgeting around. They'd gone through a lot and I couldn't fall asleep until I knew they had.

I kneeled next to the bed and played with the hair around Hisa's face. She didn't look like Hakuba, even if she was just his cousin. Her hair was black and long and she'd lost the piggy tails I'd first seen her in some time ago so the back was knotted. She twitched a little at my touch but settled down. After a few minutes I was sure she was sleeping and I took Kei's hair out of her face as well before going back to the mattress and following them.

…

My first realization was someone was poking me in the head. I tried to open my eyes but they wouldn't focus on the small form in front of me.

"Are you waking up?" It asked, the voice didn't sound familiar but I could tell it was feminine. "Well you've got good timing." The figure stood up and walked away.

I put a hand up to my head where new bandages had been put on, I also discovered I was on my back when I knew I'd fallen asleep on my stomach. I didn't tend to move in my sleep so I found it weird.

"Kuroba-kun, how can you still be sleeping?" I let my head fall back and saw Hakuba standing over me.

"Well good morning to you too."

"Afternoon actually. It's three and we've got less than an hour to pick up Kane-kun and meet with Kei-chan's mother." He offered me a hand to help me up. "How do you feel?"

"Normal I guess, why?" I felt something a little strange getting up after I just said that.

"That girl cleaned up your bullet wound and closed the one on your head. She said you'd be able to take the bandages off in a few hours if there isn't any bleeding." While Hakuba had been telling me all this, his eyebrows were knit together and he seemed unsure of what he was saying, which was odd coming from the most self-confident person I knew.

"What girl?"

"Ai-kun," Kudo came into the room looking as tired as I felt. "We've been waiting for you to wake up and since you didn't look like you were going to, she thought it was better to treat you while you were unconscious. She was also curious so you lost your makeup." He looked back into the room he came from. "Though I'm not entirely sure why she wanted to help you at all."

I felt my soft hair that told me the temporary dye was gone and wiped a hand across my chin to make sure the powder was off as well. I went over to Kudo and leaned over him as I swung around the corner and caught sight the girl before she made her way downstairs.

"Thank you."

She waved me off, not slowing down. "It seems like you'll need it."

"Anyway," I looked down at Kudo as he spoke to me. "You should get back to your house. The professor said you could take his car again, though Hattori and Hakuba-kun didn't seem to like that idea very much." Kudo looked at Hakuba with curiosity and the detective tensed up. "They didn't say no to it but won't tell us why the atmosphere suddenly changed when we brought it up."

I laughed and went back in the room to notice that the kids were gone. Hattori had even somehow gotten up before me.

"I feel like I'm losing my touch," I commented to no one. I never slept longer than anyone, especially when they were in the same room and making noise. I put a hand in my pocket to make sure I still had the keys.

"We might run into some problems," I turned to Hakuba. "I think it's better if Hisa-chan stays here."

"We'd be putting them in danger." Hakuba's eyes darkened and he met Kudo's, "I've never frequented this place before now but we could have been followed at any point over the last few days."

"We weren't. I'd stake my life on it." I poked him, "I said yesterday that my driving around wasn't just for fun." I'd been looking for tails as well. I couldn't be sure that whoever had shot Jii and Kane weren't still in the area and the main reason I drove the way I did was to see if we were being followed.

"Oh," Hakuba seemed surprised. "I thought… never mind"

"What? You thought I'd suddenly gone over the deep end and was determined to scare the hell out of everyone just for laughs?" I tried to look offended.

"Knock it off Kuroba-kun," He pushed me out of the way as he tried to leave the room but he was smiling. "One of these days I won't be surprised by anything you do."

"I certainly hope not! It wouldn't be any fun if I became predictable." I shoved him back, the rest of the way through the door. "I'll meet you in the car."

"What are you going to do? I thought we'd gotten over secrets."

"We have you idiot!" I scoffed at him, "I'm not going to go with you to meet their mom like this," I waved a hand in front of my face and down at Kudo's clothes from the other day. "Do you want to sit on the toilet while I change?"

Hakuba shook his head and looked at me appraisingly. "Actually, since you did it so smoothly last night I wouldn't mind seeing you change your appearance again."

"Hakuba-kun just get in the car." I grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him out with me. "Conan-kun, I'm going to be next door and then leave so you won't be seeing me until I get back."

"Just don't steal anything from me."

I smiled evilly and he returned a serious look. "I won't steal…_anything_," I toyed with him. He kept frowning as we left, Hakuba getting into the car while I went across the street.

I didn't have to go to Kudo's house but I felt more comfortable alone and without the eyes. I'd brought enough supplies with me from home that I wouldn't need to borrow any of his mother's.

Obvious features would be best so that Kei's mother couldn't identify me but looking like a crazy punk would make her think badly of the detective.

After rummaging through Kudo's clothes and giving up I found a grey suit in his father's room. It was too large on me but padding and some paper in my shoes made it look appropriate. I gelled the majority of my hair back and added a few grey streaks hidden in the brown. Some powder to thin my eyebrows and dark shadowing to give the appearance of age and I was done. I'd pass for a thirty or forty year old man easily.

I locked Kudo's door again when I left to find Hattori had taken the front seat again.

"Why are you coming with?" I used my own voice and saw Hattori laugh.

"I couldn't let ya go alone and how'd ya think Hakuba-kun'd get back once ya left to get Kei-chan?" He looked back at the girl in Hakuba's lap. "I'm not good at divin' but I can pass on these slow roads. I figured someone'd have to drive back unless Hakuba-kun wanted to wait fer you. Takin' the girl on the glider would be faster and ya wouldn't have to worry 'bout commin' back fer the car."

"And Hakuba-kun agreed to you driving back?" I smirked at the detective who shivered.

"He can't be any worse than you."

"Oh, there's always worse," I laughed and got in. Both detectives twitched .

"Ya know it's really creepy. I know it's you under there but…" Hattori moved in his seat and looked at me. "Knowin' doesn't really help."

"Fine then I'll make it easier." I took on the guff tone of an older man who'd smoked a little too much. Hattori started laughing.

"No way! That makes it worse!"

I started the car and rolled my eyes at him. "Whatever."

The trip there was uneventful compared to last night. Zooming around at those high speeds had re-accustomed me to being behind the wheel and both of them relaxed when they realized I wasn't going to floor it. At least not at that moment. I hide my smile so that neither of them could see it.

I stopped by my house to pick up Kane and noticed my mom wasn't home. More likely than not someone at the hospital had called her and she was with Jii. It made me feel better knowing that someone the old man was comfortable with could be there for him when I couldn't.

I put Kane's body in the back seat with the detective before taking off. Hakuba had to give me the directions from the back seat since I wasn't familiar with the area that the address she given me yesterday was in and I hadn't had enough time to look it up. Kei seemed content to remain quietly in his lap.

It was a good distance away and took nearly forty minutes. I was tempted to hurry it along but I didn't think either detective would appreciate it.

The address took us to a large white building that looked like it dealt with construction. I swerved around the back where there was a black car surrounded by three people. I had to guess the only woman was Kei's mother.

She anxiously tapped her foot when I drove up. Black hair was tied back in a bun, some of which had come loose. Her dark eyes reflected Kane's as she stared daggers at us. Neither of the two men around her looked like her husband, from what faint memories I had of him. They were larger and both of them emitted 'dangerous' just by standing still.

I got out of the car first and pushed Hakuba back in before taking Kei.

"Stay here." I met his eyes intently. He tried to get back out.

"I'm not waiting in the car."

I easily kept him in and eyed Kane's body. Hakuba should have been able to overpower me but I had leverage on my side so it was easy to keep him in. Hattori sighed at us and got out of the car, holding out his arms.

"Give me."

I raised my eyebrows and he took Kei from me anyway. "You can't hold 'em both at once an' I don't think Hakuba-kun should be gettin' too close to her either."

Hakuba looked gravely at Hattori and back at me.

"I'm not staying in the car."

"Then don't but don't get too close to them." I held out my hands and Hakuba reluctantly handed Kane's body to me.

"You shouldn't either then."

"She has no grudge with me that she knows of and has never seen me before. I won't be in danger."

"Don't put anything passed that woman." Hakuba got out but did as I said and stayed a few feet behind us. When I turned around, the woman in question would have stormed after me if one of the men hadn't stopped her.

I went up to her and she snatched Kane away.

"My baby!" She cried, holding him close to her. After a few minutes of rocking him in her arms her eyes shot up and found Hakuba.

"You god damn brat!" the men couldn't stop her this time and she went after the detective. "Who the hell do you think you are? Help? Gods I could have found more help at a homeless shelter! You did this!"

She clawed her hand in Hakuba's direction, holding Kane in her other arm. I grabbed her wrist before she could make contact. Hakuba didn't back up but looked her straight in the face.

"I tried. I'm sorry I couldn't stop Kane-kun from dying."

"Tried my ass!" She screamed and attempted to get out of my gasped. As long as I kept my grip and positioned my body right, it would be able to keep her under control. "Let me go!" She yelled at me. Kane's limp form was the only thing keeping her from using both hands.

"I can't do that." My voice was back to the husky one I'd used in the car earlier. "I was there as well and couldn't protect your son. I wanted you to know we tried our best."

"Oh really?" She spat, trying to claw at me now. "Well your best was clearly not enough to keep my son alive was it!"

"Please calm down madam. Your daughter is here as well and I don't think your misdirected anger is helping any." I could hear the cold tones sneaking their way into my voice.

"Misdirected anger? You're the assholes who got my son killed!"

Hattori came up next to her with Kei, trying to push Hakuba out of the way if she got free.

"Miss, yer daughter is here and I think she needs ya right now."

"Ha!" she drew her wrist towards herself and I released her, still cautious of any further attacks. "Of course she needs me!" The woman signaled for one of the men to come over and they took Kei from Hattori, the poor girl was crying and trying to cling to him. In a quick motion Kei's mother went up to the man and Hattori as they struggled to get Kei to let go. She moved too quickly for me to stop her.

The woman bared her hands like claws and swiped at Hattori's face, getting him near the left eye and across the check. "Let go of my daughter!"

I could the blood already coming down from the three marks that landed on his check and he blinked his eyes a few times before meeting her gaze.

"I'm tryin' to give her to him. She won't let go. I know yer upset but hit me again an' I ain't gonna be so nice next time."

She snarled at him and the second man stopped her from doing just that. He could at least tell the teen's threat was real. The woman brushed him off and walked back to the car with Kane's body.

I leaned over and touched one Kei's fists as she tried desperately to hold onto Hattori's coat, even after her mother had hit him. "It'll be alright Kei-chan."

She looked at me with her tear covered face and nodded before letting the man take her. "Sorry about mommy oniisan," she murmured to the Osakan detective before the man could turn around with her.

"Its fine Kei-chan, she was just worried 'bout ya." Hattori smiled and continued to blink. One of her nails obviously got him in the eye. Kei shook her head but smiled back.

I tried to push the two in the car faster than the mother and her group could leave. I started it up and practically flew around the corner before handing Hattori the keys and a piece of cloth.

"Thanks," he muttered and looked in the review mirror as he took my seat, trying to get the blood off his face.

"Are you ok?"

"Fine." The white of his eye was all red and there were a few tears mixing with the blood. "I didn't think she was gonna hit me an' when I saw her commin' I couldn't drop the girl."

His phone started to ring as I wiped off the makeup and spiked my hair. I couldn't get the grey out but it wouldn't be noticeable when I put the hat on.

Hattori cursed and picked up the phone as I threw the overcoat in the car that was over my white one.

"Hello?" Hattori shoved the phone away from his ear as someone yelled at him. "Shut up will ya!" He yelled at it, still a safe distance away. The noise died down and he spoke to whoever it was. "Yeah, I told ya I was in Beika… No, not right now. I had to stop somewhere… Why do you care!... Fine!" He slammed the phone shut and looked annoyed. He turned around to Hakuba. "Do ya mind if we make a stop somewhere?"

"I don't see how I have any say in the matter." Hakuba folded his arms. "I can't drive so I have no way of stopping you from going anywhere."

"Hey," he turned back to me just as I finished switching my shoes. "Can ya meet us at Mouri-san's? It seems like Kazuha can't keep her big nose outta things when I'm gone more than a day."

"Sure," straightened the tie, ready to take off. "But what about Kei-chan? I don't think I should be parading her around."

He gave me one of those, _are you an idiot_ looks and pulled it off better than Hakuba had. "Yer Kid, make sure he doesn't see _her._"

"Of course," I shooed him away with my hat. "I'm not stupid."

He smirked at me before driving away, "I didn't say ya were."


	17. Unstable Confrontations

There will be a bit more language in here (the mother is in here obviously, and yes, I haven't giver her a name. I am allowing her to remain distant or this story will never end and I'll have to get into her character too... _I am not doing that *shakes head* NOPE!_)

The birthday wasn't that fun... AH, had kids all over me! But that cake _was _good and I went fishing afterwards (I am a chronologically awful fisher, I had four different bites and I pulled the fishing pole at the wrong time *weep* and I felt bad for stabbing the worms, I did it... but I felt bad. I tortured one on accident because I couldn't cut it)

On with the show!

* * *

_**Chapter 17: Unstable Confrontations**_

I was up on the roof of a neighboring building since the location we'd been at didn't have any easy way of reaching its roof without time and energy I didn't feel like wasting. The glider caught the wind the second I opened it and I couldn't stop the large smile from flashing across my face. Luck must have been back on my side since the winds were good and I'd only lose them if the car went over sixty.

The black vehicle was easy to follow in the beginning but I had to descend when we reached more domesticated areas. I'd almost lost them for a minute a few times in the traffic when I couldn't find a strong enough headwind to slow down.

They didn't go far though and it only took fifteen minutes for the car to pull into the driveway of a large three-story house. One of the men got out with Kei's mother and held the little girl tightly, not in the custodial way a parent would. The other one took the car and drove off.

Perfect.

I landed soundlessly on the tiled roof and repelled to a second story window that was easy enough to pry open. Once inside, I found my way to the stairs and hooked up a few wires. I could hear Kei's mother and the man down there as I was setting everything up. I grabbed a card out of my pocket and quickly wrote on it before slinking down the stairs.

The mother was in a large room with a big screen TV and sofa. She was holding Kane's body still and Kei was sitting on the man's lap nearby, looking upset and angry. I touched the floor in the doorway before retreating when a loud crack and a poof of smoke revealed a rose. Kei's mother jumped and held her son's body close to her.

"What is it?"

"I don't know," the man replied before coming over to investigate the flower. He had bleached hair and a small hairline scar across his forehead. "It looks like a rose."

"What?" She placed her son's body gently on the couch and bent over my flower before trying to step on it. A few tugs on some invisible catch line got it out of the way before it was smashed. A smaller pop issued from the blossom as my card flew up at her. I looked around the corner and could see Kei smiling and trying to find me. I smiled back from the shadows.

"What is it?" The man leaned over her shoulder to read the card. '_I've taken an interest in you joy and will commandeer it for safekeeping –KID_' Of course I played on the meaning of Kei's name and I didn't see how she'd get my warning confused with anything else. The woman smashed the card up in her hand and then proceeded to try and rip it. She didn't succeed and I had to stifle a laugh as the tiny paper card won out over her.

"What the hell is this? What's going on?" She glared at the man who seemed to understand and I saw a glint of something dark in his eyes. _Oh oh._

I thought of forgoing my plan when Kei's mother did exactly what I thought she would do and took the girl out of the room. It obviously was not safe there since I'd gotten my flower in so easily. I hung upside-down from the ceiling and met her with a smile when she rounded the corner. I could feel as the back of my cape brushed my hair and slide humorously over the brim of the top hat.

"What the hell?" She held Kei close and thrust a hand in my direction, startled to find me suddenly in her face. "Who the hell are you and what do you want? Get out of my house!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that without her." I purred, "I think she would be better off in my hands anyway."

"She's MY daughter!" The woman yelled, swatting at me as I ducked and dropped smoothly to the floor. "You can't have her!"

"I don't plan on harming her madam. If you are familiar with my work I have a high success rate of returning what I steal."

"I don't care!"

I tugged on a few guild wires and was able to swing behind her in the blink of an eye, grabbing Kei and swinging back.

"How dare you! Give me my daughter back!" She screamed when her arms were empty.

"I believe that the girl will be safer and better cared for in my company than in yours." Kei smiled and held onto my coat. "I don't think you've been a very good mother to her."

"Well I _am _her mother! Giver her back!" The woman ran after me and a pull on my last line repelled me up the stairs faster than she was able to give chase. I was across the room and out the window in seconds as I whispered to Kei to hold on.

The glider snapped open and my momentum kept us from hitting the ground from the two story drop. Kei giggled and shivered in my arms. I tried to wrap her up in my coat since I hadn't thought about grabbing hers. Kid's outfit was incredibly insulted from both hot and cold weather so it would keep us both warm.

"Yay!" She shouted as we rose over the buildings "I'm flying!"

I looked back but couldn't see well since we'd already gained plenty of distance. I'd been tempted to do more than just leave with Kei but the woman was distraught as it was and, though some revenge for Hattori's sake sounded good, I didn't want to upset her more then I already had.

"Are you sure you didn't want to stay with your mom?" I asked her one last time. I wasn't as sure as I had been earlier that the woman wouldn't go to the police.

"Yep, mommy isn't my mommy anyway."

"What?" I looked down and the girl but her expression of joy didn't fade.

"My mommy is someone else but daddy won't tell her who. He came home with me one day and so mommy's been my mommy since I was a baby."

_Oh, that explained the difference in her reaction between Kei and Kane, they weren't really siblings._ In the legal sense of the word any way and legal never mattered with me and Kei didn't care. In all ways that mattered they'd been brother and sister. No, they _were_ brother and sister.

"I'll make sure I return you to your father when everything's over then."

"Yay, daddy!" She tried to squirm around so that her back was on my stomach. After a few hit and misses she succeeded. I'd almost lost my grip on her but she just laughed it off.

"I'm flying!" she spread her arms out at her sides and laughed into the biting wind. I smiled with her and tried to get my coat around her again.

"You're lucky you're not falling. Try not to move around so much."

Kei giggled and purposely squirmed around in my hands. I smiled and raised the glider higher up. She'd be a fine trouble maker when she got older, maybe I could teach her a few things.

"Fine then, if you want to move around so much…" I was hundreds of feet in the air now and I let her go. A quick turn of my shoulder and I did a summersault in the air before she fell back into my lap upside down and I righted myself.

I didn't hear anything from her once we were flying straight again. She was still in my arms and I was afraid I'd scared her. She only fell a few feet for a second or two but maybe it was too much. I was only trying to make the ride a little more exciting.

"Again! Again!" she giggled and turned to smile at me.

"Kami girl, you scared me."

"I know," she pointed her ear. "I'm sorry. I couldn't catch my breath."

I laughed. "Well, I'm not going to do that again, I could have dropped you and I wasn't thinking, but we've still got a half-an-hour before we reached the detectives." I held her tight and wrapped her up before leaning shapely forward and sending us into a fast dive. With the winds as strong as they were, the gilder picked up speed faster then it normally would and I had to put my coat over her mouth so she'd be able to breathe.

Whatever noises she made were lost in the high gusts and I felt compelled to keep going. I somersaulted again, this time with her, tipped the glider sharply up and down, being careful not to snap it, and rolled over sideways in a somewhat controlled manner all the way back.

When I landed next to the alley near Mouri-san's office I striped off my clothes and put on a puffy green coat and matching green clothes. I bent over Kei who was still giggling and had red checks from the cold.

"Listen to me Kei-chan, don't call me by Kid or anything. You can call me Kaito if you want. Don't tell anyone you're name either. Let's call you Seika." I smoothed her light brown hair and used the same black dye I'd had on earlier."

"We're going to lie?" She looked confused.

"No, we're just going to smudge the truth while we're around people who might get us caught or bring you back to your mom. It's not lying." _Well…_

Kei laughed at me and held up her arms for me to lift her up. "Ok I'm Seika."

"That's a good girl."

I picked her up and climbed the stairs to get to the open the door, ducking just in time as something hard smashed against the wall behind me.

"Heiji you're such a jerk!" A teenage girl screamed, my brain flipped through notes until I had a name to go with her face.

Kazuha huffed as I walked in and strode up to me with all the anger of a bull. "An' let me guess! You're the famous Kudo who keeps draggin' Heiji off whenever he calls."

"Nope," I pushed her to get her out of my face. "It's not me, I swear!"

"Yer all a bunch of liars! How can I believe any of you?" She shot a glance and me and Hattori before including Hakuba who was sitting rather rigidly on the sofa. Ran was in the room trying to calm the girl down and Kudo was off in the corner, attempting to ignore the confrontation.

"So then who's this?" She pointed a finger at me and Hattori didn't answer, unsure of what to call me. Kazuha took it as admittance that I was Kudo.

"So you think you can lie to me too do you? Well Heiji can't be bothered with your stupid cases anymore so quite callin' him! He's got more important things to do!"

Ran looked up at me and I saw a brief look of confusion and hurt in her eyes.

"I'm not Kudo-kun!" I pointed over at Hakuba, "Ask him, I've been his classmate for almost a year now. I think I should know who I am. My name's Kaito," I defended timidly. This girl wasn't like Aoko and seemed like she'd result to brute force over tossing an eraser at me. With Kei in my arms I wasn't sure if I could dodge her if she did.

"I don't think she believes ya Kuroba-kun" Hattori snuck in, firmly stating my name.

Ran looked me over again and saw the subtle differences that separated me from Kudo, though I was sure the silver still streaked through my hair confused them even more. Ran physically relaxed and Kazuha had to admit to herself that she was wrong.

"Then what's he doin' here?" She offered no apology to me but kept yelling at Hattori. "I thought ya were on some important case an' yet ya've got a buncha people runnin' around!"

"I _am _on a case ahou! He's…" Hattori thought for second before deciding what to say. "He's working on it with Hakuba-kun and me."

"Oh no, I've been lumped in with the detectives" I sighed. The Osakan girl turned on me in an instant and I regretted saying anything.

"So you ain't some detective? Then ya got no business hangin' out with Heiji, you'll only slow him down! Go back home and let him take care of it so _he_ can come back home!"

"Ya can't just tell the guys I'm workin' with to leave! Yer the one that should go home!"

"Not without you, Heiji. If he can stay why can't I?" She crossed her arms defensively.

"'Cause he's…" Hattori trailed off and I faked writing something down on my hand, "he's got info we need so he's gotta come. You don't have anything. Cases can be dangerous an' I don't want ya involved!"

Kazuha sat down across from Hakuba, turning away from us. The detective stiffened and tried to shift his body away from her but a sharp glare made him freeze.

"Fine then, go off and play detective with your friends. I'll just stay her an' wait fer ya to be done. Then I expect ya to go back with me."

"Kazuha this isn't the kinda thing that can be fixed by tonight. Hakuba-kun an' I have both told ya that and Kuroba-kun will do the same." Hattori sighed and went to stand over her. "Go home. I'll be back when I can."

"Ran-chan," Kazuha completely ignored him and looked at the other girl. "I can stay over 'till Heiji's done, right?"

"Kazuha there's school tomorrow!"

"Damn it," I swore to myself and everyone turned to look at me. I scratched the back of my head. "Oh, it nothing."

Hakuba chuckled. "Aoko-kun's going to be mad at you for skipping again."

"Shut up! You're skipping school too!"

"Ah, but she doesn't know that."

Kazuha gave us both an evil look and which shut us up instantly.

"Heiji you have school tomorrow too. Come back with me."

"I can't Kazuha. This is important."

Kei broke the serious atmosphere by wriggling out of my arms. I put her down gently on the floor and she went over to Kudo, just staring at him.

"Um…Hi?" he waved to her nervously.

"Hi, I'm Seika." She hugged him and Kudo reflexively drew back before he focused on something that Kei whispered to him. I saw his eyes widen when she back off and smiled at him.

"Sure." He murmured.

"Thank you Oniisan!" Kei yelled, getting a few confused looks from most of the room. Kei ran over to Kazuha and smiled at her while Kudo turned to Ran.

"Um, Ran-neechan? Would it be alright if….Seika-chan stayed the night? I was going to stay over at Professor Agasa's and she doesn't want come with."

Ran looked at me since I was the one who brought Kei in and I smiled. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble. Cases aren't the best place for little kids."

"Conan-kun," she looked back down at Kudo. "If she wants to stay the night why don't you just stay here with her?"

"Raann-nnneecchhan…." He moaned theatrically, catching the smiles from me and Hattori. "I want to stay at the professor's with Heiji-niichan."

"Fine then, I guess she could stay. If dad has anything to say about it…" Ran clenched her fist to send the threat home. Everyone except Hakuba shivered, not knowing what the girl was capable of.

"Thanks Ran-neechan!" Kei shouted from next to Kazuha. The other girl had been trying to avoid her but Kei's cute faces and a few pulls on her clothes were hard to ignore. Kazuha picked her up and held her in her lap.

"I guess I'll go home a little later then." Kazuha sighed, turning violently towards Hattori. "But the minute yer done with this case yer gonna come back!"

"I said I was." Hattori shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can't ya settle down?"

"It's just…" Kazuha twirled her fingers around in front of Kei. "I had a bad feelin' an' thought I should come make sure ya were okay. I still don't believe ya about the scratches."

"I told ya it was just a cat." I looked back at the Osakan detective's face. The angry scratch marks were long and thick, though they had stopped bleeding and it seemed like he could keep his eye open, even if it was slightly bloodshot.

"Some big cat…" she mumbled.

"Heiji-niichan lets go!" Kudo groaned. I was tempted to laugh but I didn't it would help. Kudo spared a glance at Kei before looking back at Ran and showing off puppy eyes I didn't think him capable of. It didn't help me fight back the laugh.

Ran smiled and turned to me with what must have been a huge grin on my face. "Nice to meet you. I'm sorry about Kazuha-chan."

"Ah, it's fine. Thank you for watching Seika-chan for us. Her parents left her with me and I don't really know how to care for little girls." I meet Kei's glance and bent down to her level. "Why do you want to stay?"

"Because Kaito-niichan said he didn't want me there when we were in the car." She played with her feet and smiled. "And I want to stay. These are nice people too."

"I thought you were sleeping." I ruffled her hair. "Be good then and… I'll see if we can't pick you up tomorrow. I might just bring Hisa-chan here to stay with you."

"Fine, fine, fine, fine." Kei played around and ran off.

"I'll see ya later Kazuha," Hattori played with the tip of his baseball cap. "I'll be back soon."

The four of us left the office and I pushed Hattori around the car when he tried to get into the driver's seat.

"Hey, ya got to dive already! I got the keys."

"No you don't," I waved them in front of him. "You haven't had them since I put Kei-chan down."

"Sneaky jerk" he mumbled and stood on the other side of the car when he noticed that Kudo had taken the passenger seat. "There's no way I'm sittin' in the back with Hakuba-kun."

"Hattori just get in." Kudo mumbled. "I have a few things I want to ask him and I can't do it with this height from the back seat."

Hattori hit the top of the car and got in the back. Both detectives looked away from one another. I still couldn't understand what had come between them.

I rolled my eyes in their direction and started the car. The professor's house wasn't too far from Mouri's and we could have walked but I figured he would want his car back.

"So what's going on? You never answered my questions before and I've been in Osaka so Hattori hasn't been able to fill me in. I got home a half-an-hour before you woke up and no one would tell me what was happening."

"A lot has been happening." I sighed trying to think of where to start. "The short version is that Hakuba-kun was in charge of looking after three kids who someone is trying to kill. You met several of the children in the fire that day. I offered to help."

My hands unconsciously tightened on the wheel and I had to focus on not speeding. "While they were with a friend of mine one of the kids was killed. Whoever is after them clearly has connections and Hattori-kun thought he knew who it was but we haven't been able to talk about it."

"Who?" Kudo turned to the Osakan boy but Hattori kept looking out the window.

"I think it's them."

That was apparently enough of an explanation for Kudo but nowhere near what I needed.

"Who's 'them'?"

Neither of them answered me but Kudo turned back to him.

"How sure are you?"

Hattori fidgeted, "Based on the info they've givin' me an' my talk with the little girl… I'm about ninety percent sure it 'em."

"Why would they want children?" Kudo turned back and asked himself.

"Hey, who's 'them'?"

"We'll tell ya when were at the professor's in a minute. Don't want ya drivin' us into any walls 'cause we're distractin' ya." Hattori smiled but it lacked emotion. He turned back to Kudo, "They're weird kids but I don't see how they'd be involved with 'em. From what they've told me there was a bunch of other children too."

"They did have a different doctor then the others" Hakuba added in. "I don't know if it matters but there weren't very many kids subjected to the study, probably a little more than a dozen whose parents could afford it. Hisa-chan, Kei-chan, and Kane-kun were the only one's seen by one of the doctors."

"An' what happened to the doc?" Hattori asked him.

"Nothing as far as I know. He was fine when the parents started trying to investigate."

"Sometimes a dead body will draw more attention than not. If it was them and the doctor was left alive… I can't figure out why they'd go after the children" Kudo shook his head. "It just doesn't make sense."

Because Hakuba was behind me I shouldn't have seen it but the review mirror helped. His eyes glazed over as he thought of something and I saw him draw in towards himself.

"Maybe this particular doctor did something different than the others. If someone found out and was interested, that could send them after the children." Hakuba sighed, "But it wouldn't make any sense to kill them then."

"Not if they _wanted_ information…" Kudo trailed off his thoughts, "but maybe if they wanted to _hide_ information."

A chill when through the car.

"So he'd hafta be a part of 'em too, the doctor I mean. That makes sense."

"What does? You still haven't explained it to me" I grumbled, pulling the car into the driveway. "Now you'll get your chance to."

Kudo and Hattori both made no moves to get out of the car so I reclined my seat to talk with Hakuba. I didn't hide a smile when the seat hit the detective's knees.

"You don't think it's fair right? We've told them everything they wanted to know and more and now they're keeping secrets from us."

"The car is small enough without you squishing me," Hakuba complained before leveling his gaze at the other two. "And no, everything that's been happening to me recently hasn't been fair. I go to one person for help, regret it, and somehow wind up with three or more who have been all keeping secrets from me," He spared me a dark look. "And expect me to just sit here and take it for '_my own safety_.'"

"I hate bein' feed that line." Hattori spoke up. "I hate even more bein' told I can't help when I could, even if it would be 'dangerous'."

"I've never seen so much considerable danger as I do around detectives." I justified.

"Says the thief dodging bullets of his own. People who live in glass houses should throw stones Kuroba-kun."

"Ya should know where I'm commin' from when I tell ya it's not my decision to make, whether to tell ya everythin' I know or just enough to keep ya 'safe'. _As if_." Hattori relaxed comfortably. "If it's 'em there is no 'safe'. Especially since they seem to want Hakuba-kun dead too."

"They want you dead?" Kudo turned to the detective. "Why?"

"Maybe they think he knows too much" Hattori answered when Hakuba didn't. "We've seen that before."

"Then the families that the children came from would be in danger as well." Kudo's eyes narrowed the blond, now brunette detective. "But they are not, which makes me wonder why they would go after you."

"Maybe they aren't after me. They didn't seem inclined to shoot again once they hit Kuroba-kun."

"That's because I stayed in front of you," I whispered. I hadn't intended to say anything unless he brought it up. "You know how hard it was to stand up after I was aware I was shot? I only let you get behind me when I knew the shooter had run off. So let's correct that statement to 'they weren't inclined to shoot at you again unless they killed me first'."

Hakuba balled up his fists and sent me a heated glare. "How were you able to think about things like that when you were hurt?"

"Endorphins or something. You're the smart one; I don't remember everything that my teachers have tried to drill into me over the years."

"That's not what I meant."

"Instinct I guess then," I leaned my hand behind my head and looked at him upside-down. "I've been in enough danger that I automatically assess the situation and try to protect whoever I'm with. You could have been anybody and I would have reacted the same way."

"But I wasn't anybody and the gun wasn't pointed at you. When did you make the distinction between reacting to a known danger aimed at your wellbeing and the danger present that was after my wellbeing?"

"It doesn't matter if the gun was aimed at you or me. I've protected people before besides you detective, It's nothing new to me." I felt as I was sliding more into my personality as Kid and didn't quite know how to stop it.

"It's new to me. I've never seen you risk your life for someone else."

"You've never seen it but it must have been evident to you. I don't think you would have gone to me if you hadn't noticed. I never think of it as risking my life for anyone either. I'm confident enough in myself that I can get anyone out of any kind of situation." I could feel a smile I used as Kid creep across my face. It was one that I only used in front of the police when they were trying to catch me and I was about to slip through their fingers.

"And what if you can't? What if one day acting like that gets you killed?"

"Well, I guess I'll die then. You can't say you would have been able to sit still while someone got hurt in front of you either."

"No but I wouldn't put myself in front of a bullet to stop it. There are other ways."

"Not most of the time. You know you've successfully derailed the conversation again detective and I'm interested in knowing who these people after you are so would you mind talking about this with me later?"

He just looked out the window, focusing on nothing. "I can't change the way you act even if I tried. I don't care. Get yourself killed."

"Don't be so mean about it. It's not like I'm going to die anytime soon and the little brushes we've had shouldn't make you doubt that. I'm a phantom thief after all." Everything about my demeanor seemed false but my words were true. "I'm not that easy to take down."

"So it would seem." Hakuba was trying to let go of his anger but it was difficult for him. After a time he calmed down enough that I counted on his help facing Kudo.

"So, who are these people? And don't give us some vague description like Hattori-kun gave us earlier either."

Kudo sat still next to me, his even breathing the only movement he was inclined to show. After several minutes of silence Hattori kicked the back of his seat hard enough that the small detective had to shoot his hands forward to keep from falling over.

"I don't see the problem with tellin' 'em. It's not like they aren't in enough danger as it is and knowin' what they're up against is better'en lettin' them walk 'round blind."

"Hattori, I do realize that. One the off chance that it's not-"

"It's them."

Kudo sat back against the seat and eyed it with distain. He turned to me and Hakuba, "Very well, I'll tell you what you need to know."

* * *

THANK YOU SO MUCH 'CRYSTALE NO OTAKU' FOR THE TRANSLATION OF THOSE TWO PAGES OF MAGIC KAITO "ADULTS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND" THAT ARE MISSING ONLINE! IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN THEM THEY ARE IN THE REVIEWS SO I'M LEAVING THIS UP! (though you obviously won't be able to see the pages... I'll have to figure that one out :) )


	18. The Burden that Comes With…

Yay! I HAVE A BETA READER NOW! Thanks to swirly87 it should be much easier to understand!

And please keep reviewing! This story is so fun to write sometimes!

* * *

**Chapter 18: The Burden that Comes With…**

"Why does everything have to be harder then it seems?" Hakuba asked himself when we were inside Professor Agasa's home.

"Because if everything was easy, life wouldn't be any fun."

"I hope you're not referring to this as 'fun' Kuroba-kun, or I might think you've gone senile," replied Hakuba as he sat down on the couch while I went for the bathroom.

"Nope, my mind is in perfect shape. I haven't used it yet so it's still in mint condition," I teased back. "I'll be back in a second."

"Running off again?"

He missed the evil grin across my face. "Why? Do you want to run off with me? I heard there are some cheap priests in Vegas."

"Shut up Kuroba-kun."

"Oh no," I wept, "I think I've just been shot down." Hakuba gave me a sour look as I added, "Maybe I should just stay here and we can have a nice conversation like we are now."

"Just leave already."

"Done." I waved goodbye and blew him a kiss, getting another angry look from the detective. I was sure that he would have thrown something at me, if he wasn't afraid of Kudo or Hattori walking in on such a childish act.

It was easy enough to get out of the window in the bathroom. I didn't have to leave but I wanted some time to think, and the bathroom would echo if I made a few calls. In seconds I was on the roof and flipping through the contacts in Jii's phone.

I understood now why Jii told me it wasn't safe to trust anybody. I had a new, and profound, respect for Kudo now. Even though he tried to censor himself out of most of what he told us, his experience dealing with these people and how he had barely managed to stay ahead of them was impressive. This group in black was big, and frightening, and I was surprised they hadn't killed us already. Our flimsy way of dealing with them so far seemed to be enough for the time being, but we had to find some way to fight back.

The fact was I didn't know any of the people listed in the phone. I rarely needed outside help and when I did, I'd gone to Jii. I recognized a few names, but no one that could help.

There was no way that the detective and I, even with help from the other two, would be able to take this organization down. That wasn't my main goal anyway, but it was hard to think of something that would work. The children's safety, and Hakuba's, came first. Something was still bothering me about Hakuba, but since I had no ideas to run with that thought, my concern for him mingled with the children.

The only option that seemed apparently obvious to me at this point was to make it look like they died. That would effectively get the organization away from the kids, but not the detective. The parents had money and could hide them, but Hakuba wasn't the type to stay in the shadows for long.

"Damn stupid detective," I muttered aloud. Although, I wouldn't want to be forced to hide either so I just settled with cursing Hakuba to the wind since it couldn't fight back.

It would help if I knew why they were after him.

Kudo brought up a good point in the car. Unlike the parents, Hakuba knew where the kids were being kept so it would have been smarter for them to try and corner him and then kill him. Obviously, there was something else going on.

I'd need to get information first. However, there didn't seem a way to do that, safe or not. I could call up a few people, but if Kudo didn't have the information, I didn't think I would get it either.

So we were either back to sitting on our hands and hoping some opportunity presented itself, or playing bait. Since Hakuba would have to be the bait, I wasn't going to bring up the second option.

The sun was already starting to set and the twilight colors played beautifully on the horizon. I laid back and watched the sky darken, tucked behind the outcropping on the roof, away from the wind chill. I didn't notice when my eyes started to close, or the gap in time I missed between when the colors disappeared and the moon came out.

…

"Oi! Are ya up there or not!" The Osakan detective's words snapped me out of my trance. I was surprised to find the world around me had gone dark.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm coming down!" I shouted back, shivering in the cold. It was weird, but part of me didn't seem fazed by the weather anymore and my awareness seemed fuzzier than usual.

I dislodged the glider and swooped down to the yard. I stumbled a little and blamed it on my sudden waking from the unintentional nap and on the cold weather. Hattori waited and gave me a strange look when I came over to him.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, why?"

Hattori put a hand up to my forehead and I drew back on slow reflexes.

"You damn idiot! Ya know ya got a fever now."

"Really?" I asked, amused at the bit of information. I put a hand up to my head and felt how warm it was. That or my hand was just frozen.

"Get in the house." He shoved me from behind and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Why should I? You're not my mom, and this isn't your house."

"No but yer mom would want me to get you in the house an' outta the cold when yer sick. If it were my house my mom would be the one pushin' ya in."

"Well la de da." I laughed for no apparent reason. The words just seemed funny.

Hattori grabbed onto my arm and I tried to get him to let go. When my numb fingers pushed against his, he shivered, still not letting me go.

"Come on, let go." I fought back feebly.

"No way. You'll walk into a wall if I let ya go."

"I'm not that out of it. It's just a little fever." My uneven footsteps didn't help so I gave up and settled on laughing again. It was quiet, but I couldn't seem to stop.

The warmth of the house made everything go even murkier. I tried to look over at Hattori, but I couldn't focus on him and I felt my body shiver in the new temperature.

"Kudo, I think he's got a pretty bad fever."

I looked down to find Kudo below us looking confused. I smiled at him, forgetting what Hattori had just said. A few more chuckles escaped before I shook my head and tried to get my brain working.

I shouldn't have done that.

Shaking my head had made my sense of balance all but disappear. If Hattori hadn't been holding me still, I would have fallen to the floor. He had to reach out to grab my other side to keep me straight and I yelped.

"Sorry." He tried to position his hand somewhere that wouldn't hurt me and I just pulled out of his grasp altogether, and onto the floor.

"The room is spinning," I laughed. "And I feel like I'm drunk."

Now that I was down low enough, Kudo touched my forehead too, cursing to himself.

"Hey," I put both hands over my head. "No one gets to touch my head anymore." The floor was cold against my skin, but I didn't have enough energy to get back up.

"I'm glad he got off the roof before he started actin' crazy."

"It's because of the fever. See if you can get him into bed and I'll check to see if Haibara might have something that could help."

"Gotcha." Hattori bent over to pick me up, and I hit him in the face. I'd meant to just push him away, but my visuals weren't exactly working correctly at the moment.

"Don't touch." I chided him and laughed.

"Ouch, that really hurt." I saw him put his hand up to his face where he'd been scratched.

"Sorry." That action alone made me feel sad all of a sudden. The giddy laugher that had overcome me was quickly replaced by deep depression. I suddenly felt like crying, which was strange since I was in front of the detective. A logical part of me knew I was acting crazy, and it was the only thing that kept me from actually crying.

"What the hell's the matter with him?" I heard Hakuba's voice all of a sudden. I looked around before finding him off to my left and ahead of me. I tried to crane my neck. However, because it was hard to see him, I gave that up quickly, instead falling into more laughter.

"He's gotta fever. I don't know why he didn't come off the roof when it was this cold out. I'm tryin' to get him in the room but…"

I started laughing. "I hit you, oops."

"Yeah, oops my ass." Hattori sighed. I stopped paying attention to him and found that staring at the ceiling and smiling was enjoyable. I was also playing with some of the stuff from my jacket, but looking to see exactly what they were was too much of a challenge.

I felt cold hands on me again and tried to push them off. Someone grabbed my wrist.

"leggo…"

"Kuroba-kun, quit fighting so Hattori-kun can help you."

"But his hands are cold…" I complained.

"Shut up."

"Fine." I was running out of energy again anyways. The cold hands could be dealt with later.

I was put onto a bed and could feel the covers drawn up over me and tucked into the sides. Another cold hand touched my head and I pushed it away, my eyes closed. "Stop touchin' me."

"He's really burning up. What should we do?"

"Ku-ah, Conan-kun's seeing if he has any medicine, but if the fever doesn't go down we might need ta get help."

"Quit talkin' 'bout me." My voice was quiet, but I felt Hattori's accent play across my lips before their words started to jumble together, and I didn't want to pay attention through the fuzz anymore.

Before falling asleep, I briefly remember Hattori swearing as I dropped whatever it was I still had in my hand onto the floor.

…

"I would appreciate it if everyone stopped trying to fretter sympathy from me."

I blinked a few times as someone moved across the room. I swallowed before speaking. "If you're talking about me, it was unintentional."

"You're awake?" Kudo asked me, being the only one in the room.

"Seems that way." I put a hand up to my head and found a mostly dry cloth, and the bandages gone. I could feel a headache, but most of my cognitive responses were still muddled.

"Don't try to get up yet. Haibara was able to find something to take down your fever, but it's not a miracle cure. You're still weak and I think all the stress recently has been getting to you."

"I'm not stressed," I sat up slowly. "Maybe a little confused and worried at times, but not stressed."

"Whatever. I'll see if I can get you something to eat. You've been asleep for almost twenty hours."

I whistled. Twenty hours was a long time. "Where is everybody?"

"Hakuba-kun and Hattori left, though it is getting late so they should be back soon."

I raised my eyebrow at him and Kudo smiled. "They didn't leave together this time." He went to sit in a chair instead of heading out the door. "I think that Hakuba-kun's been riding the edge for too long since he's not used to situations like these. He needed some time by himself."

"I couldn't agree with you more," I smiled. "I don't think that break he had with Hattori-kun was very relaxing for him."

"I doubt it," Kudo looked away, "but they've been getting along better than I thought they would."

"Force of circumstance," I mumbled. "Hakuba-kun and I shouldn't be getting along as well as we are now and yet, somehow we've pulled it off."

"I know." Kudo had nothing else to say so I thought I'd ask a few questions.

"You've told us the names, habits, and personalities of these people, but you never said anything after that. Are you planning on sticking with us or not? It's obvious at this point that we can't shake off Hattori-kun."

"There's nothing more I can do. Not like this," Kudo gestured at his miniature self, "but I've been thinking about it. I don't mind you coming back here if you have to."

"Where's Hisa-chan?"

"She's in the living room, but she doesn't like being here without Hakuba-kun or Kei-chan."

"Do you mind me bringing her back to the agency to be with Kei-chan then? I don't think Hakuba-kun's going to have much free time."

"Not in your condition."

"I'm fine now." I was able to get up and felt only remnants of the fever. "Maybe it was just the anxiety like you said. I don't feel sick or anything."

"At least eat something first. I don't want you driving into any trees."

"Who said I'd be driving?"

Kudo shook his head at me. "Don't tell me you're going to fly the glider in this cold weather when it's already gotten you sick?"

"Yep." I stretched, feeling better as I woke up. "If Hisa-chan doesn't have a problem with it, I would prefer to fly."

"I'll call Ran so that she knows you're coming over."

"Whose fridge am I raiding?" We walked out of the room together, heading into the kitchen. "I'm really not that hungry."

"That's because of your fever. There's no way you've gotten over it yet. This could wait until tomorrow."

"No, because Hisa-chan would be unhappy until then and I'm sure Kei-chan doesn't like being there alone right now either. I don't mean alone, alone," I corrected myself so Kudo wouldn't get mad. "I mean without someone who knows she just lost her brother."

I eyed a bento box in the fridge when we made it to the kitchen. "Well, it's mine now." I opened it and started eating as Kudo went into the other room to get Hisa ready.

I had hoped that my mom would be able to look after the kids. She was an adult figure who had the experience to deal with them (she had raised me, and Aoko, after all), whereas I was just a troublemaking teen with little experience with children. They could tell my mom anything and she would understand. If there was anyone that could have stayed with Jii at the hospital, I would rather they do it but the old man would probably like my mom's company, or mine, the best.

Kudo and Hisa were in the living room when I was done. Hisa was wrapped in a thickly padded jacket I knew hadn't been hers.

"She's all yours. If I were you, I'd try and get back before the other two do."

"Ah, I hate worrying about stuff like that." I zipped up my jacket and reached down to pick Hisa up, but it took her a few seconds to come to me. "I'm my own person."

"But you're working as a team now. It's different, and I don't think it's something that will come easily to you, but then again, if it doesn't, I'm sure Hattori and Hakuba-kun will have something to say."

"Okay, fine. I'll try to get back before they do. Sheesh." I left out the door with Hisa and threw my wire over the side of the house. Since I was using my weaker arm to throw, it took me two tries to get it up there.

On the off chance that anyone saw me, I put on my top hat and monocle just in case. Since it was still early and had only just gotten dark it was possible.

"Ah, Kid wearing black." I scoffed at my dark pants and jacket. "Whatever."

"You're not white anymore." Hisa whispered to me before pushing her eyebrows together. "Well, kind of, but…your color keeps changing."

"I'm surprised it had only one to begin with." I smirked at her. "I'm not the stationary type."

"No, it's not something that you can change… normally." Hisa was still watching me as I prepared the glider and wrapped her close to me. "But yours has been flashing from white to…not black but… see-through."

"And what does that mean?"

"I don't know, I've never seen see-through before." She squirmed a little. "His is red."

"Whose? Hold on, you know if you want to get there I'm going to have to take off at some point. Can it wait?"

Hisa nodded as I instructed her to hold on tight. A few steps forward and we were in the air, catching some of the lighter drafts until I was able to get higher. Hisa couldn't help but smile when we were safely in the air.

I reached into the higher air currents so that I could pick up speed. Soon the lights below grew indistinguishable.

"Okay, so what were you telling me?"

"Conan-kun, his color is dark red. I usually see colors like that. Yours is funny."

"Well, people have always told me that I'm different." A thought suddenly occurred to me. "Can you see your own color? And Kei-chan's?"

"Yeah, Kei-chan's is a very light pink and mine's a medium shade of gray."

"Um, that's kind of depressing. Why don't you have a normal color?"

She shrugged. I felt more then saw the motion. "I don't know. That other guy, Hattori-niichan, his is a regular shade of purple."

I laughed out loud and Hisa looked up at me. "Hattori-kun's is purple? Well I don't feel so bad about being different then."

"What's wrong with purple?"

"Nothing, if you're a girl." I slowed my laughter. "It doesn't seem like him."

"You can't control what color you are… normally." She eyed me again. "You're weird."

"I've been called worse. Then again, I haven't been called weird by someone who says that they can see things that normal people can't. Don't you think you're a little weird yourself?"

"No, I'm normal." I laughed at her, but stopped when I saw how angry she was. "Just because someone messed with me when I was being born doesn't make me weird."

"I didn't mean it that way." I tried to move her so that I could see her face more clearly, but she pushed away from me. "Come on. I didn't. Damn…" I sighed. I did the only thing I knew I could do at that point and flipped the glider over. She let out a tiny scream and held on tighter. Though I couldn't hear it, I felt her body shake with laugher. "I'm not very good with people who don't understand me. I think I even confuse Hakuba-kun sometimes."

"I don't like being weird." Hisa spoke up.

"Well, I love it. It just means you won't find anyone else like me in the world."

"I want people to be like me though. I want to fit in with 'normal' people."

"You're not alone. Other kids, besides you and Kei-chan, had things done to them. I'm sure when you grow up, or even now after this is all over, you can go find them if you are interested."

Hisa didn't say anything back so I just did a few tricks with her like I had with Kei before we made it there. The cold was biting my fingers and I told myself I'd wear my gloves on the way back.

I landed in the alleyway again. It was the perfect spot, large enough to drop down in but out of the way enough that people wouldn't notice it. I let Hisa down and she shivered.

"Yeah, the winds can really get cold up there. I guess Conan-kun gave you the coat for that."

She nodded. "It's really warm."

I let Hisa walk up the stairs on her own and I knocked on the door. Unfortunately, it was Kogoro who opened the door instead of Ran.

"What do you want?" I could smell the beer on his breath and saw the lethargy in his eyes.

"Um, I was looking for Ran-san. Is she here?"

"She's upstairs in her room." Kogoro's eyes narrowed at me as he walked closer to me in the dark hallway. "You look a lot like that brat who likes to drag her along. You're not him right?"

"Nope, definitely not him I assure you." I changed my voice so it was just higher pitched then my normal one, making myself sound younger, but not too different to the drunk's ears. "I'll be going now."

"Whatever." He slammed the door in front of me and I called him several bad names under my breath.

"What did you do?"

"Hm?" I looked down at Hisa. "What do you mean?"

"When that guy came up to you, you put something in his coat."

"Oh that." I shook my head, a mental sigh of relief in my head. For a moment there, I thought Hisa was asking about what I just said. "That was just a present for when he wakes up tomorrow."

Hisa kept eyeing me so I bent down to her level. "You'll see when he gets up. I attached a pressurized patch so that when he unbuttons his coat, it'll spray him with blue dye. It comes off clothes in the wash, but skin…" I smirked, "Let's just hope he doesn't get any on his face."

"That was mean."

"He was the one being mean," I countered, "All I did was make it so he'll think twice about drinking. I'm sure he'll wonder where it came from."

Hisa almost made me feel bad about doing it. Almost.

Kogoro would most likely just dye his chest blue for a few days; it wasn't like I would hurt him. After all, my motto is that no one gets hurt.

"Ran-san," I knocked on the upstairs door. "I'm here with Hisa-chan."

"Oh, it's open. We're a little busy right now." I heard as something metal was moved inside. I pushed the door open and found her and Kei-chan inside, the latter covered from head to toe in flour.

"Kaito-niichan!" She ran over and hugged me, covering my clothes with the white powder, before peering up at me with a smile. "We're making cookies!"

"I can see that." I picked her up and flung her in the air, making the flour unintentionally rain down on me. When some of the it got into my mouth, I had to put her down and spit it out. "Gross."

"Seika-chan you shouldn't do that when you're dirty." Ran scolded her before looking apologetically at me. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine, I don't mind a little powder," I told her, winking at Kei so she knew I wasn't mad. I turned back to Ran, "Are you sure it's okay for Hisa-chan to stay here as well?"

"It's fine. Seika-chan here has been lots of fun. I don't usually get to hang out with little girls." With a warm smile, Ran bent over Hisa to greet her. The little girl seemed to like Ran almost instantly, running up to her and hugging her before kneeling next to Kei. I scowled at Ran when her back was turned, feeling jealous, and Kei laughed.

"Well, I've got to get going, but thanks a lot for looking after the kids."

"No problem. Dad was putting up a fight about it earlier," she trailed off and I noticed her clench her fists, "but he's okay with it now."

"Oh." I stumbled with Jii's phone for moment before managing to turn it on. I grabbed a piece of paper nearby instead of one of my cards. "If you need me and you can't get a hold of me at the professor's, call this number."

"Okay, that's fine. What's your name again?" she blushed, "I was a bit too flustered earlier to remember."

"Kuroba Kaito. I'm a classmate of Hakuba-kun's." There was no reason for me to lie to her. "Keep in touch. Bye you two," I waved to Kei, but Hisa turned away from me so I stuck my tongue out at her instead.

"Well, that was fun," I said to myself when I got outside. I tried to brush off some of the flour on me, but only managed to get a little bit of it off. The rest seemed inclined to stick to me like glue. Oh well, the powder itself didn't really bother me.

There weren't any windows that had easy access to the roof besides Kogoro's and I didn't want to go in there. I went up the emergency ladder on the side of the building instead and put on my hat and monocle before taking off.

I had my white gloves back on so that my hands wouldn't freeze. I didn't want to wear them earlier when I was carrying Hisa because holding someone with gloves and flying a hang glider at the same time was harder than it sounds.

I reached my normal flying height and glided smoothly, letting the wind play with my clothes while I watched the lights flicker below. There was something calming about being in the air. It was why I insisted on flying, instead of driving, to the Mouri's.

When I was closer to the professor's, I hesitantly lowered my altitude. I didn't really want to land, but I needed to head back inside where it was warm since I was still getting over the fever and it was cold out.

It wasn't like last time.

I heard the sound of a snap while I was lowering the glider. There was no warning. Even my sharply-honed instincts failed to tell me that there was danger nearby. All I knew was that one minute I was in a smooth descent towards the ground, and the next second something hard had hit the glider and I was falling rapidly towards the brightly-lit buildings below.


	19. Missteps towards Misfortune

**Disclaimer: An "Airsoft" is a bbgun and they are legal in Japan** (I claim no rights to the name or the weapon)

Thank you Everyone for reading and reviewing (ah! DONT HATE ME ABOUT THE CLIFFHANGER! The chapter was really long)  
And thanks again to swirly87 for beta reading and fixing A LOT of my sentances!

Someone has mentioned it so I will put this up. My story takes place passed episode 400 in the Detective Conan anime. This means that any mention of the FBI is done so after some rather revealing events that I will not mention or spoil for anyone who has not seen them, meaning _after_ Akai... (what I haven't spoiled anyway by having to mention things in my story that were nessasary)

* * *

_**Chapter 19: Missteps towards Misfortune**_

Lady Luck must have been smiling down on me, despite the desperate situation, because Kudo's house was right below me. I was still going to be falling down thirty or so feet, and hitting his roof would surely kill me, but if I guided the rest of my descent right, I might just be able to survive this disaster relatively intact. The landing was still going to hurt, but at least I'll be alive.

I held onto the remains of my cape as the glider broke apart, attempting to aim myself just a few feet more to the side so that I'd be next to the building instead of on top of it. As I fell past the roof, I quickly took out a wire I used for transcending buildings and hooked it onto the roof's edge. The wire caught instantly and I kicked off against the roof to slow my descent to the ground. I tried to retract the wire, just enough to slow my fall to a more bearable, if not survivable, level. I hit the bushes first and felt the branches tear up my clothes and skin.

"Ouch," I mumbled to myself, before making sure I was still in one piece. "That was close. Wait, what the hell?"

I looked around and barely noticed the two people dashing between the yards. Both were wearing night vision goggles, blending in with the darkness in their black clothing. I could scantily make out blond hair sticking out between one of their caps. Both were also carrying what appeared to be sniper rifles. However, from what little I could tell of the two, neither looked like Snake's men.

_Run_ was the only thing going through my head, and since my instincts rarely failed me, I listened. Neither person was very close to me so I felt it was safe enough to loop around before going into the professor's house.

I opened and quickly, but quietly, shut the door, hurting my fingers in the rushed process.

"What are you doing now?" Hakuba asked me from his seat on the couch, with Hattori and Kudo sitting near him.

I put a finger up to my lips and shushed them. I was breathing rather heavily, and I tried to slow it down, but my heart continued to race. There were people after me, well Kid at least, who hadn't been before. They also had a strong possibility of being the same people who were after the kids.

_Why were they after me?_ I leaned against the door and thought about it. It was recent; they'd only come after me just now, which meant that they didn't know I was helping Hakuba before. _Who had I met recently?_

It wasn't Ran or her dad, and the only other person I had met was Kei's mother… Damn. I remembered the blond hair sticking out from one of the sniper's cap, the same bleached shade that the man with Kei's mother had.

"What's going on?" Kudo came up to me and asked, eyeing my new cuts.

"I had a little run in with your bushes," I laughed, "You really should trim them more often."

"Stop being an idiot. What happened?"

"I'm on the wanted list now too." I eyed Hakuba, "Seems they've found out I'm helping." He looked back questioningly, my quiet conversation going unheard by the other two.

"And why didn't you say anything? I wouldn't have let you out of this house if that was the case!" Kudo practically hissed.

"I didn't know. I just found out on the way back. Do you think I would have put Hisa-chan in that kind of danger?"

"Who's following you? Did they see where you went?"

"Of course they didn't. I'm not that stupid. I know what one of them looks like, but I'm not sure about the other one, and I don't know if there's more. All I could tell about the second one was that she was female."

Kudo pushed passed me and vanished out the door. I tried to grab him, but since I wasn't expecting him to go after the two, I wasn't prepared to stop him.

I quickly took off all the Kid stuff I was wearing and went over to Hattori, stealing his hat before grabbing his jacket off the rack and discarding my own, which was still covered in flour and slightly torn.

"Sorry, I'll bring them back." I vanished out the door again as Hakuba looked at me like I was crazy and Hattori watched me with unconstrained interest.

I searched around for Kudo, ducking into the shadows. Even if I didn't have the same clothing on, they could still shoot me for being a moving figure in the dark. I heard rustling as someone moved through one of the yards further down the street, too loud and obvious to be Kudo, which meant it was the other two.

Well, I would just have to follow them then; they would probably lead me to Kudo. Hopefully, I could find him before they did.

Sneaking around the two wasn't easy. Too much noise from me and the girl would turn around and look at where I had just been. A few close calls made me back up.

I couldn't pick out any details in the dark on either of them. The girl was smaller then I recalled and one of her eyes had some dark mark under it that could have been anything. The man I had already seen.

"He's gone."

"Don't you think I noticed?" The woman spat at the man. "But you can never be too sure. He could be watching us right now. We are after the Kid."

"I'm sorry, you're right." The man bowed slightly in the woman's direction. Obviously, she was the one in charge. "What if he slipped into one of the houses?"

"Then we're never going to find him," An evil smirk crossed her face, "unless we blow up the whole neighborhood."

"Chianti, I thought we were supposed to keep this quiet."

"We were, but who'd miss a few houses here and there?" She sighed and slung the rifle over her shoulder before taking out a walkie-talkie. "Hey Korn, we lost him. Anything on your end?"

"Nothing," came a dull voice back to her, tones hidden behind static.

"I shouldn't have missed, damn it." She put the transmitter back into her pocket. "How could I have missed when he was a big white flying target?"

A noise, too loud to be an animal, was made ahead of them. I winced when I heard it before making my way quickly around the perimeter.

"What is it?" I heard the man ask. I couldn't see what was going on while I went around, focusing more on remaining silent.

"It's a kid."

_Damn, damn, damn it_, I thought to myself. Was Kudo that stupid? In a few more moments I could enter at the right angle.

"What should we do with him?" I still hadn't heard Kudo's voice, which made me wonder if it was really him. Then I sighed and thought, what other little boy would be out at this time of night alone? None, except a stupid little tantei-kun.

I crouched down and swished some liquid around in my mouth before spitting it out. I reached into my pockets where I knew I'd put some contact lenses and blinked them into my eyes so that they were now a dull shade of brown. Parting my hair mostly to one side and layering in some gel unevenly, before putting Hattori's hat on sideways, I shoved my hands in my pockets and made my way over to them.

Kudo was in the man's hands and blinking his eyes several times, looking confused. He was feigning it of course. Kudo took on a whole different look when he was actually confused. It was easy for me to see the difference since I'd been around him long enough to know the real him. His glasses were gone, but it looked like he'd taken them off himself. His hair was also rather messed up. The technique wasn't half bad considering he didn't have any cosmetic product on hand, and he definitely looked different.

"Hey, ya found my brother," I drawled, keeping my steps uneven and touching my hair a lot. I made as much noise as I could on the way. "Mom woulda killed me if I lost him again."

The woman pointed her gun at me and I stepped around it with all the grace of an elephant. "Wow, cool." I bent over and touched the muzzle with my fingers. "Is this one of those things that shoots out those little balls? My cousin has one of those."

Chianti didn't seem to like me very much. She grabbed the side of my hair that stuck out from the hat and shoved me against the nearest building, where I let myself go limp to prevent injury.

"Hey man, I don't like my woman rough," I gave her a playboy smile and breathed subtly into her face, "but you're pretty enough if you want to come over. I'm sure we could find some common ground."

"I'm too old for you and so is that liquor you've been drinking. You're just a stupid kid, I'm sure no one would miss you." She started to raise her gun and the man interrupted her.

"Chianti, you heard what he said. Nothing unnecessary." He put Kudo down and smiled at him, going along with my lie that his gun was an Airsoft and telling Kudo not to be afraid.

"Like I care what the boss says…" Chianti grumbled, but nevertheless putting her gun down while letting go of my hair. It took me a second to realize how close she had been to killing me. "Count yourself lucky this time."

And I did, though I gave her a lopsided smile that said otherwise.

They argued a while before walking away, the woman shooting me a backwards glace with all the venom of a snake. Once they were safely out of sight and earshot, I let myself slide down the wall as Kudo came over to me.

"That was really stupid," we both told each other at the same time.

"What are you talking about? I had things under control," Kudo told me. "They weren't going to kill a little kid."

"I'm not too sure about that." I thought of the look in the woman's eyes. "She seemed like she wanted to kill us both."

"Nice clothes by the way, though I doubt Hattori would let you just borrow them all of a sudden."

"Let me, saw me, there's not much difference. I wasn't around long enough to hear his reply." I took the cap off and tried to fix my hair. I wiped some of the extra gel off in the grass.

"At least now we know for certain it's them," Commented Kudo as he waited for me to get back up.

"Yeah, I caught that too. You don't sound too happy about it."

"I'm not. I can't fight them when there are people in the line of fire."

"I take it you mean people that aren't you and can't defend themselves against them. Yeah, I know. What are we going to do now?"

"We're going to go back to the professor's and get our heads chewed off by Hattori and Hakuba-kun for being stupid. Then we've got to think of some way to get everyone out of this whole mess."

"Ah, do we have to?" I whined, "I really don't want any more yelling."

"You know you either talk to me like you're older or you act like a kid, which is your real personality?"

"Both," my head itched from where the gel was drying against my scalp, "I've always been that way, even before Kid if that's what you're wondering."

"Yes, so Kid had no effect on that?"

"Besides me showing my tamer personality more often? Nope. It's probably because of…" I trailed off. I wasn't going to let Kudo start thinking about my dad too. With his deductive abilities, he would figure it out. "It doesn't matter."

I was slowly starting to relax, I hadn't realized how tense I'd become under the woman's grip, but my body recognized danger better than my brain. If that was any indication, then Chianti was a very dangerous person.

"Why were they looking for you here?" Kudo's face darkened. "There have been too many things happening in Beika for them to ignore. If they start going after Kogoro and Ran again…"

"Again? I don't remember this being a part of your explanation."

"They only targeted Kogoro because of me, and I didn't want to explain myself in front of Hakuba-kun. The only important thing is that they don't suspect him again," Kudo paused as he closed his eyes. Thinking aloud, he added, "They shouldn't. Kogoro never goes to your heists and when he does, he doesn't do anything important. Why would they be here?"

"I don't think they were here specifically." I cursed myself for not looking around the area earlier. I was so sure we hadn't been followed. "They may have seen me earlier. Gliders aren't the easiest way to get around for most people. So if they followed my path, it would have been easy to predict where I _would_ be and not necessarily where I was _going_. If you see what I mean."

"So it might have been a coincidence."

"No, it _was_ a coincidence."

Kudo met my stare but I knew I was right. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm alive. Don't you think that it's strange for a professional sniper to miss?"

"She would have been aiming for your head, and since she missed, I take it she hit your glider." He eyed some of the scratches that were still on my face and laced over my legs. Luckily, Chianti hadn't noticed or thought I'd gotten them somewhere else. I had been pretending to be drunk after all. "So you were descending…"

"And she didn't know. In the end, I'm alive while she thinks she just missed me, knowing nothing about me actually intending to stay in the area," I smirked. "So we have nothing to worry about."

It was hard for Kudo to hide his relief. If I had been tense before, it had been nothing in comparison to how Kudo was feeling.

"So Chianti, Korn, and their partners won't be back." Kudo went back to thinking after that statement while I tapped the wall I was leaning against with my knuckles. Knock on wood and all, just to be safe.

"I thought we were going to go back to the professor's. I'm starting to get cold." I was cold only because I was still sitting on the frozen ground. I wrapped Hattori's jacket around me, which was surprisingly warmer then my own.

"Yeah, we should go back. If they see us still out here, I don't think they'll let us by with a warning again."

I got off the ground and dusted off my pants. "So are we telling them everything that happened, or can we edit out the part where we were discovered?"

"Kuroba-kun, this is dangerous and they've seen us both." He looked over my eyes and hair, "The resemblance is still close enough that they might notice either of us in the future. Though Chianti didn't seem to recognize me."

"You didn't get caught on purpose did you?"

"Idiot, I'm not suicidal. I was trying to get out of their way and…" Kudo hid a blush, "I may have tripped over something." he shook his head and went over to the bushes to grab his glasses. He must have left them there in a hurry to change his appearance.

I winked at him and Kudo sighed, "I didn't know what else to do, and don't say anything about me looking like a miniature you. I won't take it as a compliment."

"Hah, as if. I looked way cooler then you do at that age. At any age," I smirked, "I don't even see how people can confuse us."

"Our personalities would make that difficult. I don't act like a child every time something amuses me," he shot back with a grin.

"I do not!" I pouted juvenilely, walking back towards the house.

"Where'd you get alcohol? I heard Chianti say she thought you were drunk."

"I stole it from Mouri-san," I palmed the almost full beer can in my hand, "I was going to make it so that when he opened the can, it would explode tea at him instead of beer but Hisa-chan guilt-tripped me out of it. I guess I forgot to put it back." I raised my eyebrows, "Do you want it?"

"Of course not," Kudo gave me an unpleasant look, "I don't condone drinking."

"This stuff tastes terrible anyway," I swished some saliva around in my mouth to try and get out the bad flavor. "I didn't even drink any of it and it still made me feel sick."

I eyed the can a little longer before taking a sip. I then had to stop and cough as it burned down my throat. "Nope, doesn't taste any better even when you do drink it. Yuck, why do people like this stuff?"

The can was low enough that Kudo was able to grab it out of my hand. "I don't know, but curiosity killed the cat and I don't want you trying anything, especially something that destroys brain cells." He poured the rest of the liquid out in the grass. "We need every brain cell as it is, and going against them drunk or hung over will get us killed."

"I wasn't going to drink the rest of it!"

"Sure you weren't."

"No, I really wasn't. That stuff tastes like a dog's butt," but he was right that I was curious. I wondered what being drunk felt like. I'd have to find out another day, and I wouldn't be drinking that cheap canned stuff that Kogoro had.

The minute we walked in the door Hattori snatched back his hat and picked up Kudo. The little detective couldn't do anything in the larger detective's grasp so he just passively let Hattori take him over to the couch. The teen shot me a hard look before I meekly followed him.

"Ok, what's gonnin' on and why did the two of ya shoot out of here like a bat outta hell?" He placed Kudo opposite him, and I was surprised when Hattori sat next to Hakuba. The half-Briton detective looked just as angry as the Osakan, but with more refinement, having months of dealing with me under his belt.

Kudo looked over at me, and I sighed before putting my hands up. "No comments until the end. It's hard to make myself look innocent when I'm being accused of things halfway through my story."

"_Look _innocent?" Hakuba asked darkly.

I rolled my eyes at him. "On the way back, I was spotted by the group in black that are after the children. Unfortunately, I showed myself by going right up to one of them when I had gone to get Kei-chan back from her mother. At the time, I didn't know he had anything to do with them. Luckily though, I was Kid at the time I showed up." I then explained in detail my trip out of their house and the exact description of the man.

"When I was coming back from Mouri-san's they saw me and took a shot. They missed, of course, but now Kid's one of their targets as well. They probably will, if not already, have pieced together the fact that I'm helping you." I tried my best not to make it sound as dire as it was. Chuckling, I added with a sheepish look on my face, "I didn't pull off the most graceful landing, but as you can see, I'm not that hurt."

"And the reason the two of you ran back outside? Especially, when it was obvious that they must have been close by, considering that the first thing you did when you entered the door was to shush us." Hakuba asked in a remarkably calm, but at the same time rather terrifying, tone of voice. It was clear he was working himself up to a quiet rage, which in its own way was scarier than an enraged Aoko with a mop.

"That was all him. I couldn't let Conan-kun leave alone." I quickly defended myself, pointing an accusing finger at Kudo.

I could see how infuriated Hattori was. He kept clenching and unclenching his hands, closing up his eyes tightly, and taping his foot loudly against the floor.

"And why did ya run out there Ku- ah." Hattori shut himself up before he could say anything more. "Fine, damn it. Conan-kun. Ya know how dangerous they are. Ya coulda told me when ya left." He looked up at me since I was the one of those people who 'should have told him'.

"Like I had time to explain everything. I wasn't even able to catch up with him until after."

"After what?" Hakuba practically growled out, his face growing darker.

"After they found him…" I trailed off, leaving Kudo to defend himself against the other two. I had been 'safe' after all. They hadn't found _me_, and it wasn't _my_ fault that I had to show myself to them too.

"They let ya go that easy?" Hattori's expression had gone from mad to pure apathy. I was sure he was still angry, you could see it in his forced movements, but heavier things were weighing on his mind.

"They let me go," Kudo closed his eyes and shook his head, "after Kuroba-kun walked right up to them." I saw the grin he hid from the other two.

_That was low. I wouldn't expect such underhanded tactics from a detective_. I thought of a few choice words to say to him. He couldn't hear them, but it gave me something to do while the other two were glaring at me.

"Ok, why'd ya do that?"

"Because it would be weird if they just found some random kid at night. I had to make it look like he'd just run into them and wasn't really spying on them, even though we actually were."

"Ok Ku- ah." Hattori sighed again and tapped his fingers on his leg, looking at Hakuba for the first time. "Damn it. Do I hafta keep this up? It's hard enough understandin' everything without…"

"Hattori." That one word from Kudo shut the Osakan up on that subject, but unfortunately not on the rest.

"Conan-kun, I can understand his side," Hattori waved a hand at me, "but why'd ya run out there? What if… what if a bunch of stuff that coulda happened, happened?"

"It didn't, and I don't worry about 'what ifs'."

"Like hell you don't. Ya wouldn't mind me sayin' anything if ya didn't worry about it." Hattori got himself back in control and I could see him relax as he continued, "So who'd ya run into?"

"Chianti and the blond one that Kuroba-kun mentioned. I don't know who he is. Korn was mentioned to be in the area too, but I haven't run into them much before now so I don't know either's methods very well.

"So nothin' really bad happened to you and ya still got yer information. You really like to push the boundaries of 'luck' don't ya?"

"I'm a little confused about these two you mentioned. In the car you didn't say much about them. What do you know?" asked Hakuba, obviously trying to get all his facts together.

It felt strange to watch the half-Briton detective talking to Kudo on the same level, considering he didn't know the boy was the same age as him. Hakuba had a long streak of underestimating anyone who wasn't him. The only one I'd seen him show any authentic respect to was me and even then, he'd done so sparingly.

"I only know that both of them are marksmen. What little glimpses I've seen of them aren't enough to give you a description."

"The woman has short thin hair. Its dirty blond to a light brown, and she has a light scent of some foreign perfume that you can only smell up close. Unfortunately, I don't recognize the brand. She also has dull blue eyes and a small black webbing mark on the outer lining of her left eye as well as dark lipstick. I'd have to guess her age is somewhere between twenty-seven and thirty-five." I eyed Hakuba. "Is that good enough for you?"

"It was helpful. So, you were close enough to smell her?"

"She was the forward one," I smirked. "Though I did make a few passes."

"Kuroba-kun, I'm shocked you're not dead at this point."

"Aw, I hear I'm pretty good at charming the ladies." However, Chianti was different than the usual pretty lady. Although she looked young and weak, the woman had made my blood run cold when she grabbed my hair and stared at me with those icy blue eyes.

"The man is a little older, thirty-five to forty, with no obvious body aroma though I didn't get that close to him to really smell him," I smiled. "His hair was dyed bleach blond. With his reactions, I'd have to say he's an experienced sniper as well, though not nearly as bloodthirsty as his partner. He also has a thin scar across his forehead, and I'd guess a few years of military experience. I also think he's carrying around some old injuries that don't slow him down too badly, but are still obvious enough to someone who is observant enough to notice."

"What injuries?" Kudo asked me. He'd been the one hauled off the ground by the man.

"I'm not sure where they are. I can't strip the guy with my eyes you know," I said sarcastically, "When I was at Kei-chan's house, he didn't even attempt to go after me. Probably because he knew he wouldn't be able to catch me, and not because I was Kid but for some other reason. When they were out there just now, he didn't attempt to come up on me either, making me think he was being cautious about his chances of catching me if I got away from Chianti. I'd have to guess that it's one of his legs, or possibly his chest, that bothers him."

"I didn't notice anything." Kudo closed his eyes and was most likely playing back everything that had just happened in his mind. He blinked them open a few seconds later, "but maybe you're right. He did seem to move rather awkwardly. I thought it was because it was dark and he was in an unfamiliar area."

"It doesn't really matter. He's a sniper, so I'm sure that he doesn't need to rely on his footwork too much. But enough about those two, what we should really be talking about now is what we're going to do about them." Now that the adrenaline was wearing off I had to blink to keep myself awake. I leaned back on the couch in favor of listening since I could feel the effects of the fever still present.

"There's nothing we can do," stated Kudo bitterly, his eyes dark and bleak.

"So we're just supposed to sit here and hope they get tired of going after the children?" Hakuba spoke up angrily against Kudo.

"I'm not saying we should do nothing, but we have no leads right now. We don't know where they're staying, why they want the kids, and there is no way of tracking them down."

"Then we should use bait. It's always worked for me," I shrugged before immediately regretting my comment. I hadn't meant to say that aloud. Hakuba eyed me suspiciously at my statement, not completely understanding what I meant behind the words but obviously knowing it was not good. I let my head fall back so I wouldn't have to face him.

"It's not safe. Using you or Hakuba-kun as bait will get one of you killed. These people aren't the type you can taunt and expect to get away from."

"You've done it before," Hattori cut in, "I admit that one of 'em playin' bait ain't the best idea, but I'm not comfortable sittin' still either."

"I can try and get a hold of Jodie-sensei, but I don't know how much she will be able to tell me considering I'm just a civilian kid."

"Who?" Hakuba and I asked simultaneously.

"The FBI hasn't been on top of 'em recently though, have they?" Hattori folded his arms, thinking, "They're not gonna have much."

"FBI?" Hakuba let out a breath, "These people are that bad?"

"Haven't ya been listenin'? Yes, they're that bad." Hattori narrowed his eyes. "Ya see why I was so mad 'bout them just leavin' like that?"

"I'm beginning to get the picture." Again, something dark that didn't correspond to the situation crossed the detective's features. I was sure I saw it this time, even if he looked completely normal the next second. I was through relaxing.

"Hakuba-kun, what are you hiding?" I asked him directly. I had to admit he was a rather good actor since he managed to look honestly confused when he met my glance.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're hiding something. What is it? I wasn't sure before, but I am now. You can't hide things from me," I grinned, "it's just not possible."

"I'm truly not hiding anything from you. I have no idea what you're talking about."

It was gone now, whatever it was that I had seen. The detective had either locked the thoughts away in some far corner of his mind, or he wasn't even aware of it. I tried to make sense of what it was that was affecting him like that.

"Fine, I'll let it go for now," I sighed, "Seeing as we can't do anything about them at the moment, what are we suppose to do now?"

"Go home," Hattori picked up his phone. "Ku-ah, Conan-kun and I can make some calls an' you can go check on yer friend." He eyed me. "You must have been wantin' to."

"Yeah, going to see him and mom sounds good…" I groaned, "But I won't be able to fly there anymore."

"Old fashion transportation on the ground has yet to hinder anyone before, perhaps you should try that," Hakuba intoned with amusement. Then looking rather apologetic, at least for Hakuba anyway, he added, "Sorry Kuroba-kun, but I won't go with you. I'll stay here with them."

"So yer gonna let Kuroba-kun go out there alone when they already saw him with you an' feel ok about it? I'll go with ya then." Hattori faced me.

"I'm not going to play that game with you," Hakuba said dryly.

"What game?" The Osakan asked innocently. "I'm not playin' any game with you. I'm just sayin' that the guy goes outta his way to help ya an' ya can't even go with him to visit his mom an' friend in the hospital. Just seems kinda selfish to me."

"I'm not listening."

"Come on Kuroba-kun, let's go." Hattori went to grab his coat from me. I shrugged it off, forgetting that I still had it on.

"Nice jacket."

"Thanks, my mom got it fer me," a scowl crossed his face, "And geez. Why do ya smell like beer?"

"I had some earlier."

"Ya had beer?"

"I took it away from him," Kudo interrupted. "Hattori, are you sure you want to go?" I could have sworn some silent argument was going on between the two of them.

"If Hakuba-kun won't…"

The British detective had his arms crossed and remained sitting, though he fidgeted. Indecision crossed his face a few times before he sighed and got up to walk towards the door. Apparently he, and not Hattori, was going to accompany me to the hospital after all.

"I won't let this go Hattori-kun." He frowned at the dark-skinned youth who continued to grin.

"You never let anythin' go do ya? Yer still mad I beat ya last time aren't ya?"

"You didn't beat me. It stopped being a contest the minute someone died."

"But I still beat ya." Hattori snickered.

I had no idea what they were talking about.

Hakuba forced a smile, "Maybe I was just looking at things in the wrong perspective. However, I do owe you for proving me wrong. Though when I say owe, I don't mean it in the good way."

Hattori winked at me, but I was missing whatever point he was making.

"Whatever, let's just go." I threw the car keys onto the table.

"We're not taking the car?" Hakuba asked as he followed me.

"No, the hospital's close. Also, the professor's car is running low on gas and I don't have the money to pay for it. Walking sounds better than being in a stuffy car anyway."

"Fine." Hakuba wrapped his jacket tighter and got out a pair of grey gloves that matched his coat's design perfectly, down to the crisscrossing pattern.

"I'll be back soon and you can call whoever you have to," I nodded to Kudo. I was sure he wanted me to leave so I wouldn't overhear his conversation with the FBI agent. They probably had a similar reason for wanting Hakuba out of the way, which was why Hattori had been needling him to go with me to the hospital.

The detective shivered when we got out in the cold air. The sun had set hours ago now and if I had to guess, it was probably around eleven o'clock at night. Hakuba could have given me a more accurate time, but I didn't want to ask him.

The hospital wasn't that far, about a thirty minute walk. And while that didn't bother me, what did bother me was that after about five minutes of us walking, I felt eyes on me.

I didn't say anything to the detective about it, not wanting to let the stalker know I was onto him, or her.

"Aoko's going to be so mad when I get home," I grumbled, trying to look around without making it obvious.

"True, but I don't think you'll make it to school tomorrow either. Maybe you should just go back."

"Not without you. I can't let you face this alone, and Hattori-kun seems to have no problem skipping school as well. I think Aoko's more forgiving that Kazuha-san."

"I'd bet on it." The detective shivered again, this time it wasn't related to the cold weather. I wondered what the girl had said to him before I got there.

I started to slow down as some instinct warned me of danger. At first, Hakuba looked back at me in confusion. However, after carefully observing me for a few seconds, he quickly realized that we were being watched too. He then tried to look discreetly around as well.

An older man and a young woman were the only other people around. The man was frail looking and had thin, grey hair as well as a small bald spot on top of his head. The woman was jogging with dark rimmed glasses, and a jacket that was a little too thin for the weather.

I kept looking, but I didn't spot anyone else. The elderly man was the only one coming in our direction since the woman was across the street and already passing by us. I took in his appearance and initially found nothing suspicious.

I changed my mind when he was just a few feet in front of us.

The darkness hid the makeup lines and the rim where the wig met the skin. I caught glimpses of techniques that I would use myself as Kaito Kid when changing my appearance. The similarities startled me for a moment. That moment almost cost me. By the time I reacted, I was almost too late.

I immediately pushed Hakuba behind me, and whatever move the 'old man' was going to make on the detective was put on hold. Hakuba looked from me to the man, cautiously eyeing him now that I had made such a defensive move. Unfortunately for the detective, he wouldn't be able see what I had noticed inconsistencies about the 'old man' that I could.

"Who are you?" I asked darkly.

"I'm trying to get by," The old man muttered, his voice perfect.

I didn't give him any ground.

"Who are you really? You think I can't see through that? Don't make me laugh."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Get out of my way." He moved the cane he was holding slightly towards my direction.

"You didn't line the wig well. I can see bits of lighter colored hair near your ear. You also didn't do a good enough job of getting rid of that perfume you had on. There's still a faint scent of it on you. You're bending back, but your knees aren't, which is strange for an elderly person," I smirked, before narrowing my eyes at him, "Who are you?"

"You're a smart boy. A bit too smart for your own good I'm afraid."

The 'old man' tore off the disguise and I was met with long blond hair that was now freed from its prison. When she stretched, she drew a gun and pointed it as us with a smile.

"Too bad, you were kind of cute too."


	20. Identity Facade

Ok, sorry about leaving that last chapter hanging like that.  
Here's the next one!

* * *

**_Chapter 20: Identity Facade_**

This woman and Chianti shared some similarities. Like Chianti, I could feel her readiness to shoot me as if it were a tangible thing. Although what truly creeped me out was how the woman's smile was very much like mine. Similar to my Poker face, she didn't let anger or any other emotion change her demeanor.

Hakuba was still behind me, though he tried to move. I grabbed backwards blindly, and found the front of his coat. While I would not be able to hold him in place, I could still force him to move in any direction if I had to.

I was surprised when she didn't shoot.

"Where's the disc? It's not at your house and I'm not in the mood to go searching for it." She eyed Hakuba with a sense of leisure and a hint of warning. I turned my eyes towards him, but he kept watching the woman.

"I truly have no idea." His smile wasn't forced, but it was still a little too wide and his body was tense.

"What'd you do, throw it in a lake or something?" She stepped forward with the gun raised and I backed into the detective instinctively, accidentally stepping on his foot. "If you think that will keep you alive until we have the information, you're wrong."

"I never even thought of that. Honestly, I put it somewhere that I really have no idea where it would end up. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell you where it was."

"You wouldn't be that stupid. You'd want to put the disc somewhere that someone would be able to find and not throw it away." She closed her eyes for a second before transforming her smile into a grin. "So where did you put it?"

She couldn't be talking about that stupid disc I'd taken from the detective's house. There was nothing important on there, as far as I knew anyway. Hakuba wouldn't meet my gaze, and it didn't seem like a good time to ask for explanations.

"I gave it away. I don't know what the recipient did with it."

Her smile faded somewhat. "Who'd you give it to? You know you've just sentenced him or her to death with you."

"No, I haven't. You don't know who it is, and I don't feel inclined to tell you."

"_What are you two talking about? What disc_?" I whispered to him.

Hakuba looked at me dubiously before smiling wearily, still looking confused, "_You don't know?_"

"_Of course I don't know. That's why I'm asking you!_"

Hakuba smiled back at the woman, a little less confidently than he had been before, "I truly cannot tell you where it is."

She eyed the both of us. "Well then, I have no use for you."

I made sure Hakuba was still behind me. Rival or not, I was not going to let this woman kill him… or me. I had to think of a way to change the situation or we'd both be dead.

But the woman didn't shoot.

"Boy, get out of the way. I don't know who you are, but you can walk away with your life. I'm only after him."

"No." I couldn't understand why she was hesitating to fire on me. Chianti didn't seem to have that problem and this woman didn't look like she would either. And yet she did.

"So you'll die for me to get to him? There's no way that the young detective can escape, and he's made it perfectly clear that I can't use him. You, however, can still walk away. You don't have anything to do with this."

"No. He may be an idiot, but that doesn't mean you can kill him." I hoped whatever it was that was holding her finger would last until I found a way out of this mess. Hakuba seemed to catch onto her hesitation and moved behind me, if not somewhat reluctantly.

"Do you honestly think I won't kill you? You've stood in my way long enough and I don't want to draw a crowd." Her finger tightened, but she didn't pull the trigger. Hesitation crossed her features once more, but she hid it quickly behind her smile again. "Just move and this will all be over."

"No."

"Then die foolishly like all the good guys do."

"A good guy?" Hakuba said sarcastically, thoroughly distracting both of us to the point where I thought she'd kill me because of a mishap. "Don't make me laugh. If he was a 'good guy,' he would have walked away. What he is, is an idiot." How he found the courage to be condescending towards me at a time like this, I didn't know.

"Detective, I don't think you're helping" I smiled, trying to look back at him while keeping the woman in my sights.

"Well, if she's going to kill us anyways, and you won't move, you could at least admit to it."

"To what?"

"To that fact that your complete idiocy knows no bounds. Get out of here."

"Sorry, at the moment I don't care if you're my enemy or my friend, I'm still not going to move so shut up." She was almost close enough. I had to focus her attention back to advancing on us instead of the nostalgia she seemed absorbed in.

The woman shrugged with the gun pointing away from us for a split second, "So be it then." She leveled it back at us.

Perfect.

I reached out my arm and moved as quickly as I could. To their eyes, it must have looked like I tapped the side away from us. I followed the motion through to really make it look like I was just pushing the gun away.

Her eyes narrowed at me, and Hakuba put a hand on my shoulder.

"What are you doing? Are you _trying_ to get us killed?"

"No one's going to die, at least not right now." I couldn't hide the arrogance in my voice, not that I tried to. I walked up to her and her gun, the silencer lengthening the weapon to twice its normal size. "If you were going to shoot me, you would have done so already."

"You shouldn't be so confident boy." There was a pause, and I could have sworn she looked sad, before she pulled the trigger.

There was a click.

But other than that, nothing happened.

"What?" She eyed her gun, safety still off. She looked back at me and I lifted my hands innocently, with one hand clenching something.

"I didn't do anything…" I turned that one hand behind me so that what I had in it would fall securely out of her reach. There was a jangling noise as I opened my fist and let the bullets from the gun fall to the ground, "…much."

I played the fool for a moment. She was stunned, but not worried so I made her believe I thought I had the upper hand in my posture and in my words. "That means I win right?"

"I like you boy," she reached into her jacket, and my relaxed stance vanished as I grabbed her wrist before she could take it out. I felt her tense under my grip, her foot taking a step to the side instead of to the back. She was prepared to take me on, and I wasn't sure if I could keep a good enough hold on her since I had used my bad arm. The next few motions from either of us would determine who came out on top. "Who are you?"

"Does it really matter?" I blinked a few times as something started to irritate my eyes. It took me a second to realize I still had the brown contacts on and that my hair was still gelled. I prayed it was enough to make me unrecognizable later.

But the other woman, Chianti, had seen me in the same disguise which wasn't far away from my true characteristic as it was. The blond woman wasn't stupid either. If she was half as good in the same areas of expertise as I was, which seem more than likely, then she could see through mine disguise as well.

Damn, at least I hadn't _completely _given myself away.

I was sure the woman could have gotten away from me, but she relaxed and I had to blink a few more times in pain as one of the contacts in my eyes started to slide out of place.

"You have blue eyes…" Her smile was gone, but her tone was indifferent and not a little bit surprised. What did me having blue eyes have anything to do with the situation was beyond me.

"Had them all my life, why?" She watched me, scrutinizing the sound of my voice, which I hadn't bothered to hide, d_amn, _and looking too closely at my face, which I also hadn't bothered to hide, _double damn_.

"Fine. You can let go of my arm now." I could feel her muscles tense and release as she put the other gun back into her inner pocket. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"And why should I believe you?"

"You shouldn't." She made her motions slow as she put the empty gun into her outer pocket and placed a finger on her nose. "But I like you, and I don't want to have to kill you. You know I could get the other gun if I wanted to."

"You might be able to," I admitted, "And you might not."

"So you'd rather see which one of us would win instead of just walking away from me now _with_ your little friend?" There was nothing taunting in her smile now and she seemed almost relaxed. _She also issued lies and threats faster than a serpent. She couldn't be trusted._

"So you let us go now, only to shoot us in the back when I'm not holding you anymore right?"

"I won't do that, but this truce won't last if you insist on fighting me." Now she let the threat sink in.

"If you're being _so helpful,_ could you tell me how you knew it was Hakuba-kun?" The detective still had dark hair and a different style of clothing than what he would usually wear.

The woman pointed back towards the house. "One of us was there when he came with the Osakan boy to drop off the girl. You'd better watch your backs more carefully."

My eyes remained focused on her and she didn't look away. Admittedly, I had to blink far more often than I would like, and I really wished I could move the contact back at that moment, but I was wary of making _any_ kind of motion in her presence, lest it give her a chance to retaliate.

I could have hit myself for being so stupid if I was willing to let her go.

The blond man had been there the whole time. He hadn't had the chance to go near Hakuba since Hattori took the girl, but he had gotten a good look at both of them. Since Hattori was easy enough to recognize, it left the other boy with him as Hakuba by default.

"You're right, we've been careless," I admitted, taking a quick glance back at the detective before returning my gaze back at the woman before me, "What do you want so badly? What's worth killing innocent children?"

"Uah, uah, uah. A secret makes a woman, woman" she spoke to me in English, her American accent thick. "I can't tell you anymore."

"Can I at least get your name? I know you won't tell me your real one." I smirked, hinting that I knew more then she thought. It was incredibly stupid on my part, but I didn't like her treating me like some bystander.

"Only if you give me yours," she said suggestively, her smile practically radiating with malevolent thoughts. I debated in my head for a second what to do. Kudo could easily give me the information if I needed it, and I _did_ have a few more questions to ask him after this little run in, but she'd been fair enough towards me and I was an attention grabber to the end. I couldn't help being a performer, it was in my blood.

"Fine, you first."

"Why, don't you trust me?" She asked sarcastically. "Vermouth."

"Thank you. Will your ceasefire still exists after this as well?" I heard Hakuba grumble about something behind me, the only word I could make out was 'idiot'. I smirked.

"It will. A name changes nothing, but I do keep my word." Some part of her was serious and I couldn't help but trust her on that.

"Forgive me for not using my real name as well. To be fair, a nickname for a code name." I bowed gently, releasing her arm but prepared to grab it again if she made any sudden movements. "I'm Kaitou Kid."

Vermouth's smile faltered, and I tensed under the shift in her mood. She sighed and placed a hand on her hip. "I'll share some information then, if you do as well, seeing as I've promised not to shoot you." _At least not now,_ was implied at the end of her sentence, along with a dangerous looking grin. "Deal?"

I was hesitant to trust her again. Even now, I was preparing myself to react to any hostile movements from her. "As long as it's nothing too revealing," I smiled, trying to make my words relaxed despite the tension between us, and my raising heart rate.

"The children are going to be killed," there was no doubt in her voice. "Because one of us was foolish enough to experiment on them out of the range of the acceptable, they are now living proof of our illegal actions and must be taken care of." She smiled. "Now an easy question for you, _Kid,_" she stressed my counterpart's name, "Is that your real hair color?"

I almost laughed at that simple, yet potentially deadly question. I pondered on the ramifications that could come with my answer before replying, "Would you honestly take the word of a thief?"

"You should know how this works. After all, you are taking the word of a murderer. I don't see why what we've done matters. An innocent person can lie just as easily as a guilty one. So are you going to answer my question?"

I swallowed and bit back on my words. She already knew my eye color and approximate age. If I gave her my hair color, she could drastically narrow down the playing field and determine my real identity.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I wouldn't use it against you? I just want to know to soothe my own curiosity."

This time I couldn't hold in a gruff laugh. "As if you'd do anything…" I stopped.

I exhaled and closed my eyes, seeing what she would do when I wasn't watching her. Every part of my body was tense, but I needed to know something. Vermouth hadn't shot me earlier, but she didn't know who I was then. Her sad expression when she _was_ ready to shoot me confused me.

I kept my eyes closed for a good twenty seconds, waiting for any type of reaction from her. I could hear her soft breathing on the wind and Hakuba's slightly heavier breathing, along with a soft noise as he moved one foot to the side.

Nothing happened.

I looked back up at her and nodded, "It's my real hair color. I wasn't expecting to run into anyone like you."

Vermouth walked up to me, and I backed into the detective again, not having enough space to move as she placed a hand on my hair. Every shred of sanity in my body was telling me to get as far away from her as possible, but the damned detective was still behind me and she still had a gun.

She took some of the hair on the right side of my head, where most of it was laying after I'd styled it, and placed it on the other side so that my hair was parted in the middle. Her touch was enough to scare the hell out of me.

"Please don't touch me," I managed to get out, not trying to sound rude, but still freaked out at her action.

Vermouth smiled vindictively in response, but let her hand fall back to her side. "Sorry, I had to make sure you weren't lying to me."

We both knew that wasn't the reason she had changed my hair style, but then again I didn't know what the real reason was.

"Anything else you'd like to ask me? I would like a fair trade as compensation though."

"No, you've been quite hospitable given the situation," I bowed gently to her again, taking on my role as Kid now that I had established it, "I think I've had enough of your company though."

She just laughed.

Since Vermouth already knew my true eye color, and it didn't seem like she'd shoot us anytime soon, I took out the left contact that had shifted from its place and placed it in a small box in my pocket. As for the other contact, I'd take it out when we got back. After using those few moments to take care of that, I turned back to Vermouth. She hadn't moved, and was watching us with a smile on her face.

"Why didn't you shoot me?"

"Can you pay the price for my answer?"

She already had the basic information on me so whatever she was going to ask could potentially be dangerous to answer. I was curious though, so I couldn't help but answer, "Sure."

"I didn't shoot you because you look like someone who's… important to me. Your looks saved you today," her smile darkened, "but they might not save you again. My question now: If _you are_ the thief, why would you stand in the way of me killing Hakuba-kun? It would seem like a practical, and simple, solution to both our problems. Your hands wouldn't even get dirty. All you had to do was stand aside."

"Apparently, my reputation does not precede me since you obviously don't know my motto of 'No one gets hurt.' I don't care if he's a detective or not. Killing people, good or bad, is wrong and I don't like to see people die when I can stop it."

"Then what would you do if I did this?" She grabbed the smaller gun out of her pocket and pointed it at her own temple. "Could you watch me die? They'll kill me anyway."

Once I quickly assessed the situation, my reaction was instantaneous. I was at her side in a heartbeat, my feet barely touching the ground. I took a hold of the gun and emptied it as quickly as I had the first one. With Vermouth's attitude so far, I couldn't be sure she wouldn't really shoot herself.

This time, she didn't hide her surprise at my response. She couldn't.

Either she had underestimated my speed, or she really didn't expect me to stop her.

"As if I'd let you off that easy," I smiled darkly back at her.

"Little bird, I have to admit you've surprised me." She shrugged her shoulders and placed the empty gun back in her pocket. I took the bullets and swiped the ones that still littered the sidewalk into my pocket, in case anyone found them.

"That's not the type of surprise I specialize in." I snapped my fingers and when she drew her hand back, she appeared stunned at the sight of the small white flowers in it. Her smile never grew lighthearted, but it definitely lost some of its spite. In fact, her smile and her eyes almost looked…nostalgic, as if she was recalling some far off memory. I was still wary of her, but she seemed to enjoy my magic. The convenient opportunity presented to me after her reaction lightened my mood since I needed one more question answered.

"Your group came here because of Hattori-kun. Is there anyone else in the area besides you at the moment?" I produced a bird on each of my hands and waved them in front of me before seemingly smashing them together to pull out a black rose from the falling feathers. "I can't offer you more for the answer," I said before handing her the flower. I almost never carried black roses on me so it was my only one.

"Little bird, if you keep flying around like that, it makes it easier for the wolves to spot you," she sang in a teasing, but warning voice. "No, I'm the only one in the area right now or you'd be dead, whether I took a liking to you or not." Her smile went a few shades darker as she added, "It would be a shame if your wings were to be clipped."

"I'll be careful, and I appreciate your compliance in the matter. Is it too much to hope that you'll not come after us again in the future?"

"Wistful thinking." Vermouth turned away from me with her hands in her pockets. "You don't have any reason to be afraid of me now that you took all my bullets, so you can stop watching your back."

I smiled kindly as she walked away, even though my nerves were more frayed then they'd been in ages and I was still miles away of understanding most of her words and actions.

As soon as she was out of my sight, I turned around to push the detective back towards Kudo and the others. Even if she did say she was the only one around now, there could more people like her that were coming to follow or watch us and the last thing I wanted to do was lead them to my mom and Jii.

"Kuroba-kun, what do you think you're doing?" Hakuba yelled quietly, so that there was no chance of Vermouth hearing our conversation, as he grabbed onto the front of my jacket. "You couldn't have told her any more about yourself if you tried!"

"I needed the information," I dropped all the formality I'd been using with Vermouth. I was standing on the tips of my feet so that he didn't stretch my jacket. It irritated me that I was shorter than him. "If you saw another way out of that situation, why didn't you speak up?"

"We were _out of that situation_ long before you started spewing out every fact about your life to her. You weren't this forthcoming about yourself when I figured out who you were."

"Because detective," I purred, "You weren't holding the well-being of some of my closest friends as recompense if I failed to answer you truthfully."

"Hakuba," he muttered darkly at me. I didn't see what he was getting at, so I shot him a confused look. The detective took one hand and pointed to himself. "Hakuba."

"Yes, I know your name genius. What about it?"

"It is indeed my name, and you've taken to not using it recently. You call me 'detective' more often than not, and I don't think you're seeing me as me anymore. Just because I've paired up with _Kid_ doesn't mean I want to be treated like a stranger by _you_."

"And if someone happened to overhear me say your name? Your name is not exactly a common one. It's rather well known, and quite recognizable."

"We weren't around anyone besides Conan-kun and Hattori-kun. There wasn't anyone around to overhear you."

"Well I'm sorry de-… I'm sorry Hakuba-kun, but it's not like I'm doing it on purpose."

"No," he shook his head, "I'm quite aware that it's on a subconscious level, but I don't want you drawing a line between us. Right now, we're partners, not a detective chasing a thief. Do you want me to start calling you thief, or perhaps Kid?"

"No, that would be rather awkward." Even I could hear Kid's language in every word I spoke. Kuroba Kaito would have never phrased his sentence like that. I was getting my personas mixed up and couldn't seem to sort through them. "If you can't take me _and_ Kid, then we're going to have problems."

"Kuroba-kun, I don't mind that you're Kid. I've told you that. What's bothering me is your lack of accounting me into the equations. You don't refer to Hattori-kun that way, and you've even stopped addressing Conan-kun similarly. Why you would subconsciously single me out as 'the detective' is beyond me."

"I apologize then detec-…" I had no idea why I was being that way with Hakuba. Even as Kid, I'd never addressed him that way before, at least not this strongly. Before, it had been a nickname, something to tease Hakuba with during heists. But now, it seemed like all I could think of him as was as a detective. I shook my head, but couldn't find a reason for the change. I went back over the last few days to try and figure out when it had started.

We were having that fight in the car, before Kudo told us everything. What were we fighting about?

"Come on Kuroba-kun, forget I said anything." He sighed, "I just wish you would stop putting yourself in the way of bullets that were meant for me."

_Ah, that's what we'd been fighting about._

I looked down at his hands that were still partially holding onto my jacket. "Because detective," my tone was lower than I had intended, but I couldn't control the pitch of my voice any longer, "Kid _is_ your partner." I looked up at him to meet his blue eyes, just a few shades lighter than my own. "Me, Kaito… I'm not. Through this entire thing, we've never been partners..."

Eye contact seemed to help get the message through and he let me go slowly. "So you don't consider me your partner if you were to act like yourself."

"No. I'd consider you many things, but never my partner." I could see he was misunderstanding me as his facial expression grew more withdrawn. "Hakuba-kun, you're different to me when I'm myself, as Kuroba Kaito, than me as Kaitou Kid. I'm trying to find even ground, so if you'll give me time to get used to the idea-"

"Kuroba-kun, if you feel that acting more like Kid will help get the children and me out of this predicament than I won't bring up the subject again."

"That's not it Hakuba-kun!" Ah, I could have shaken him if that act wouldn't immensely hurt my bad arm afterward. I resorted to throwing my hands stubbornly to my sides. "With Kid, you're a partner. With me, Hakuba-kun, you're a friend."

At my statement, his growing detachment switched to sudden confusion.

"Hakuba-kun, if I treat you like I do every day, not as Kid but as myself, then you'd be my friend. If we ran into danger, and I thought of you as a friend instead of as an accomplice," I winced at my word choice, but he didn't seem to have taken it the wrong way so I continued, "I wouldn't be focused on my own safety anymore. I'd be more worried about you. Do you understand why I've been treating you differently? I haven't had to face Hattori and Conan-kun everyday for the last few months, so they're both already partners to me in both mind sets. Geez, I sound like a nutcase." I scratched my head absently, hoping he'd understand what I was trying to get across.

"Boundaries," his voice was so quiet I almost couldn't hear him, "You do it to keep some distance between yourself and others so that your attachment to others will not affect your thoughts in a dangerous situation. If you can make yourself believe there's a distance then it's easier to concentrate."

"I think you kind of get what I mean. However, I don't keep people at a distance though."

"Not intentionally," Replied Hakuba before pausing in thought. After pondering for a few minutes, his face glowed with some sort of understanding that I couldn't follow. "I see. That's why. That's another reason you purposely change your personality too, isn't it? Not just to hide from others, but to hide from yourself. Kuroba- kun -"

He looked at me with an expression he never had before. Most of his glances were outright annoyance or, more recently, strained tolerance. This one faintly resembled acceptance, and it felt weird. "It's because I was so angry at you, wasn't it? I'm the reason you're doing this because I _told_ you not to endanger yourself. You're specifically keeping me at arm's length because I _told_ you to."

"Sure. Let's go with that." I rose an eyebrow, still not completely following his logic. "But you couldn't tell me to do anything unless I wanted to."

"No, never mind." He brushed me off. "I understand now."

"Good because you've just confused me."

"Kuroba-kun, I don't think I'd mind it anymore. If you asked me last week, I would have said you were out of your mind, but I'm putting pieces together that I'm sure you'd rather I not. Unfortunately, it's making me respect you more than I ever did before."

"What are you talking about? I haven't _done_ anything. In fact, you were just yelling at me two seconds ago about what I was doing."

"Yes, because I didn't understand. Now I do. I don't think I'd mind being your friend." Hakuba put his hand out. "I think I need a friend right now, just as much as I need a partner."

"You can't have both. We've been fighting every time I've tried that."

"You're a mess of contradictions as it is." His smile wasn't overly mischievous, but it was getting there. "I'm sure you can pull it off."

"I can pull anything off." I shook his hand, still unsure of what he'd been saying. "Well Hakuba, let's get back before anything else happens."

"Why are we going back? Aren't we going to go to the hospital?"

"Vermouth may be the only one around, but that doesn't mean she won't follow us. I'm not going to lead these maniacs to my mom and Jii." I sighed and rolled my shoulders to get rid of some of the tension in them. "Unfortunately, if Vermouth is here, others might come too because Hattori-kun visits so often. Mouri's, Hattori's, and Hakase's homes aren't safe any longer. I'll need to make room for a few more house guests."

"Are we taking the children back too? Your house is safe enough, but it's not like you live far from me. If they're spotted…"

"We'll have to risk it. Conan-kun can stay here if he wants, but Hattori-kun has to come back with us."

"I know that." Hakuba sighed at the idea of Hattori staying over at my house with him.

"Why do you mind if it's Hattori-kun and not me? I thought you'd have more of a problem being with a thief than a detective."

"He can be insufferable sometimes." He sighed in exasperation. "And when he proves me wrong, I take it as more of an insult than if you would. Being corrected by someone in the same profession makes you more self-conscious. What if I was a thief and constantly pointing out all the things you do wrong?"

"I'd probably hit you and tell you to mind your own business."

"That's why we don't get along. Conan-kun is a lot more subtle in his corrections." He spared me a sideways look. "Though I still don't understand why _you_ take his opinions so seriously."

"Why don't you ask him? If he answers you, great. If he doesn't, you're out of luck because I'm not telling." I winked at him to show him I wasn't being spiteful. We were back at the professor's quickly enough, and Hakuba spent the rest of the walk back there in his thoughts and I in mine. Things were becoming more dangerous, and we were running out of safe places to hide. It was like trying to make a safety net out of glass.

"What are you doing back here?" Kudo asked when we walked into the house. I looked at the clock and noticed it was eleven. I couldn't figure how long we'd been gone since my timing earlier must have been off.

"We've run into some trouble." After I said that, I immediately recalled something from earlier. My eyes widened at that realization as I turned to Hakuba to exclaim, "Wait a minute! You never told me what was going on!"

"We'll talk about that later. I think we'd better get out of here, like you were planning, before anything else happens."

"Right," I huffed, "But I'm not letting this go. You're going to tell me what it is she was asking you for."

"I thought you knew." He put his hands up. "Later, I promise."

"Where's Hattori-kun?" I asked after I looked around the room several times and noticed that he wasn't around.

"He went back to Osaka. Kazuha-san called him up after you left and it seemed easier for him to go back until tomorrow."

"That's not good." I put a hand to my head and slouched down on the couch. "What an idiot!"

"Kuroba-kun, it's not like we figured it out either." Hakuba turned to Kudo. "Is he flying back, or taking the bullet train?"

"He's flying, and he's probably on the plane by now. He left right after you did." Kudo was putting the pieces together, and I knew he'd figure out what the problem was given a few minutes. Meanwhile, I took out the phone again and scrolled through it.

"Damn, he probably had a return ticket too. We'd have to go through customs and the only one who could do that would be me. Seeing either of your names on the plane list there and back would allow them to track our location."

"I'm not staying at your house while you go off on your own," stated Hakuba adamantly, his tone slightly bitter.

"I know that Hakuba, that's why I'm trying to find an alternative." I hit the call button and put the phone to my ear, holding up my finger so that the other two wouldn't talk while I was on the phone.

"Hello?" said a woman's voice, one that I could recognize. The number was one of the few I knew in Jii's phone and I'd gotten hold of it myself.

"Hi," there was no mask to my voice and I didn't even bother to put in Kid's playfulness. "I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Kuroba Kaito. It's been a while. I didn't expect to hear from you again after we parted ways."

"I didn't either, but with all the plane rides you must have taken, it would have looked suspicious if your name was on those tickets. Do you think you can pull some strings for me?"

"I do owe you, but I've given up that lifestyle." I could hear the laughter in her voice. "What do you need?"

"Thanks, I need two tickets…wait, you know what, make that three. I don't feel like traveling as myself if I don't have to. It's for two teens and a child. I'll pay you the money later."

"Where are you coming from and where are you going? I can get you the next flight or a later one."

"The earliest if you can. I know you're in France right now. Did I wake you?"

"Yes, you did. It's a little after four in the morning here." I could hear how tired she was, but the authority in her voice hid it well. "My contacts in Tokyo should still be up though, so time won't be a problem."

"You're helping me a lot more than I thought you would."

"Well Kuroba-kun, no Kid-san, you did help me when I was the one who so blatantly challenged you. I can't say I would have returned the favor if our roles were reversed."

"Well thank you Neko-san," I chuckled. "I also didn't know you were privy to my name. I guess you saw me before the lights went out."

"Perhaps," I could hear the smugness in Chat Noir's voice. "Now about those tickets…"


	21. Perilous Dangers

Author's note: Any yaoi suggested it purely coincidental and has _nothing_ to do with the overall story and should _not _be interpreted in the wrong way.

Thanks everyone for reading and Happy Belated Birthday Mysteryfan17! (It seems we both have birthdays on the 17th, though mine is in February ^_^)

Please continue to read and review!

* * *

_**Chapter 21: Perilous Dangers**_

"Kuroba, who were you talking to?" Hakuba asked after I hung up.

"Why is that any of your business? I got the tickets didn't I?" I wasn't going to rat out Ruby to either detective. I grabbed the keys off the table where I had thrown them earlier. "Let's go, or we'll miss our flight."

"What if they get to Hattori before we can? I've been trying to reach him on his phone, but he won't answer." Kudo had figured it out on his own, just like I thought he would. Given time to think the facts over, the miniature detective could find the lost city of Atlantis if he wanted.

"Then Hattori-kun had better take care of himself until we reach him."

"They wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything on the plane. And they'd be fools to get him at his house since his father, the chief commissioner of the Osaka police department, may be home. Most likely, they'll try to get him after he gets off the plane, but before he gets home," Hakuba thought aloud.

"Yeah, I think we already figured that."

"Would you please tell me what happened when you guys were outside?" Kudo asked.

"On the plane. I need a few answers myself, so don't worry about it."

The airport wasn't far, and the car ride that should have taken twenty-five minutes only took a little more than ten. While Hakuba looked like a nervous wreck and avoided eye contact with us when I swiveled into a parking space, the small detective did not seem all that fazed. It made me wonder if tantei-kun had experience with my kind of driving.

"Lightweight," I muttered, with a mischievous grin, at Hakuba.

"Ah, Kuroba-kun," Kudo pulled on one of my sleeves to get my attention, "You should probably do something about yourself before we're in public."

"What's wrong?" I looked at my average looking clothes and felt my over gelled hair. Now that I had time to think about it, the hair was styled remarkably like Kudo's since Vermouth had changed it.

"Your eyes, idiot," Hakuba laughed. "You took one of the contacts out, remember? Mismatched eyes will definitely draw attention."

"Oops, you're right." I ducked back into the car to use the visor's mirror. Seeing the brown eye and blue eye reflection made me laugh. I wondered why I'd been getting a headache and why the right side of my world looked darker then the left.

Once the other contact was out, 'looking similar' no longer seemed to fit my appearance; I could have been Kudo's identical twin. "Ah, Conan-kun…" I mumbled and waved him back over to the car. Hakuba followed him, of course, so I watched my words. "Do you know Vermouth? You mentioned some names to us earlier, but didn't say anything about connections."

"Why?" he asked pensively. Anyone could see he was being touchy on the subject.

"Well…" since the car door was already opened, I picked him up. Forgoing the visor, I took the large fold up mirror out of my pocket and compared us in it. Except for the few scratches on my face, and Kudo's age problem, you couldn't tell us apart. "That's kind of scary, isn't it? I didn't even mean to do it this time. And since Vermouth was the one so adamant on changing my hair style to look like yours, I figure that you two know each other."

"When did you run into her?" Kudo's eyes widened, and I shoved us both out of the car. _Explanations be damned, we were not missing the next flight._

I streaked my hair back with one of my hands, not feeling comfortable looking like Kudo when it didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. I took green contacts out of my pocket now, which were going to serve as a way for our escort to recognize me. Taking out the mirror again, I added a fake scar above my eye and a little tanned skin tone.

"You should really stop doing that in front of me, I'm starting to understand how your disguises work," Hakuba sighed. "And how do you not poke yourself in the eye while doing that?"

"I'm fast, and I know how to use what I have the right way. There's nothing special about it." I snapped the mirror shut, letting my anxiety get the better of me. We'd better make it before anything happened to Hattori.

I looked around the crowded airport, and found the aisle off to the side where crew members enter. The other two followed me without any questions, surprisingly. I then heard Kudo let out a small laugh.

"You're not going to try being a pilot again, are you?"

"Nope. It didn't work so well last time. Besides, I prefer my own wings."

"Someone let Kuroba-kun fly a plane?" I was a little hurt at seeing the surprise and fear cross the detective's face. Yet at the same time, I was amused by it.

"I wasn't that bad," I huffed. "If it weren't for me, no one would have walked away from it alive."

"Yeah, but you weren't the one landing the plane. I believe you chickened out at the last minute."

"Hey!" I spun around on him, indignation stopping me for the moment. "If I hadn't left then, do you honestly think I would have been able to land the plane in pitch black! I'm a magician, not a miracle worker!"

"I wouldn't say that." Now that I was facing him, I could see the mischief in Kudo's face that was hidden in his words. I turned back and kept going, getting a few looks from some of the staff members. "I've seen you perform some amazing feats. How you had the good fortune of running into that many cop cars supposedly chasing after you is one of them."

"That was luck," I sobered again, "Which was nothing on my part, besides my original actions that led up to it. Without planning, I can't take credit for something that wasn't in my control."

"Luck can be controlled to an extent. For example, most of your heists seem to go without a hitch because you plan much further ahead than most people, and you seem to have a lot of backup plans. However, luck does play a huge role when something unexpected gets in your way." I could hear him sigh, "How you always manage to come out on top is one of those little miracles I was talking about. I've never seen someone as lucky as you before."

"I'm not lucky, I..." My eyes widened and I wanted to take back my words. I wasn't going to give either of them further incentive to look into my life. "I'm just a bit more flexible than most," I grinned, trying to add some humor to my words so that Kudo wouldn't go looking any deeper. I was surprised that Hakuba was still silent.

We finally made it to the end of the long airport and out onto the docks where the planes were. Both detectives became a little more hesitant in following me, but both knew that they had no other alternative. I opened one of the doors to a large white building, where the supplies for the aircrafts were stored.

I smiled kindly to the man inside, who was somewhere in his late thirties and definitely had some foreign blood in him since his hair was naturally light brown and his skin was darker, along with his eyes. His light hair was cut close to his head so its color wasn't that obvious.

He handed me a small envelope with our tickets and walked out with us like we were old friends. Kudo and Hakuba fell in line behind us, and I could feel their unease for doing something that was quite illegal.

"It's better than being at the museum with me, isn't it?" I asked the detective lightly.

"No, it isn't. It was easier to spot dangers then." I saw him eye the man from over my shoulder. I rolled my eyes at the detective for being so suspicious and placed my hands in my pocket. I fiddled around with some things in there, just in case he was right.

However, I soon paused in my tinkering. _When did I start letting paranoia run my life_? I dropped the items and let my hands fall loosely at my side as we entered the terminal through a different entrance. We passed customs and the security check points. It would have been fun keeping all my toys from security, but I'd play with them some other day.

We stopped before the loading gates. According to my watch, the plane we were getting on was taking off in less than ten minutes. I slowed down to let the other two get ahead of me.

"Why aren't you getting on with us?" Hakuba asked me when I handed him his and Kudo's ticket.

"Just a second. I have to talk to my friend over here." I winked at him. "If you're afraid of going on the plane without someone older than you, I'd understand."

"Hmpt, it is to my great misfortune and displeasure to have been born just a few months after you. I don't think maturity comes to idiots though, so I believe I surpass you in wisdom."

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes at him and shooed him and Kudo off with my hand. "Go preach to someone who'll listen to you."

Hakuba was an independent person so he showed no concern for leaving. Kudo, on the other hand, watched me suspiciously until the once blond detective was almost inside the plane before running to catch up to him, shooting me a curious backwards glance.

"Now," I mumbled to the man under my breath, when the detectives were safely on the plane. I twirled around and got behind him in a second, twisting his wrist with one hand so that the object he was holding fell inconspicuously into my other hand. "Just what were you trying to pull?"

The man gave a short bark of laughter and tried to grab my shoulder with his free arm. People often made the mistake of misjudging my strength based on my size. I easily avoided his grasp and tightened my hold on his arm, making him let out a small cry of pain. I flipped the small taser around in my hands as if it weighed nothing.

"I don't recall anything like this being part of my deal with Neko-san."

"Who? Oh, you mean that woman. I've helped her in the past, but when I heard that someone, who a large group was ready to pay a lot of money for, was coming, I just couldn't pass it up."

"You don't know who I am, do you?" I asked in a steely tone with blatant disdain.

"Like I care who you are." The man tried to slip out of my hand and I allowed him to. Facing people from behind was only good when I wanted to surprise them, not when I wanted to intimidate them. When he turned around, I placed the taser almost slowly into the outer pocket of my jacket so that he would notice. I made sure the motion didn't look deliberate.

Just as I had predicted, the man came at me and tried to reach into my pocket for the weapon.

Only to have me vanish once he laid his hands on me.

"What the hell?"

"I'm not particularly fond of people like you," I took out the taser and ignited it, hearing the sparks flare as it was activated. The battery life wasn't long for this particular model, but I wanted to show him how serious I was.

He spun around to find me looking relaxed with all the predatory instincts of a leopard. I saw him throw me a blank look, confused at the fact that my age and my reactions didn't match up. A large grin unconsciously crossed my face, and I took something grainy out of a zip-lock bag. "You shouldn't have messed with someone like me."

I was at his side in an instant and waved the powder into his face before lounging good naturedly behind him once again. This time when he spun, his actions were slower and his eyes were duller.

"Make sure you explain to customs what it was you were doing with a taser in an airport," I said coarsely as he fell to his knees and landed on the floor completely unconscious.

I messed with a few more things in my pockets before ducking into one of the rooms where I knew there would be some guards.

"Excuse me?" I asked in a quiet, unassuming voice that wavered slightly. There were three in this room, and two looked up in interest when I spoke while the other continued to fill out paperwork of some kind. I let a few tears fall down my face. "I need h-help."

"What's wrong young lady?"

I'd grown used to being called such, with months of getting used to it, and the brush of make-up I put on made it easier to fit into the role. The black wig on my head was long and just uneven enough to throw off the fact that it was fake. The voice was easier than anything else, a little higher and a lot softer then Aoko's. My light colored shirt was collared, but hidden behind my jacket so I could pass as female.

"There's a man…" I winced back a little and covered a green eye with one of my hands. "He… he wouldn't let me on the plane." I showed them my ticket, made out to an Ayaka Takiomi. I'd purposely asked Ruby to use a girl's identity in case of emergencies such as this. "My friends already got on the plane, but before I could get on with them, he tried to stop me. I don't know what happened, but he pulled out something that sparked a lot. Then he just fell to the floor. I didn't want to leave him there, but I… I didn't know what else to do." I sobbed, laughing internally.

"There, there," one of the officers rubbed my back gently and I masked a sharp intake of breath as another sob. _Hands off, I'm still hurt._ "We'll have this whole mess sorted out in no time."

The other officer, and the one who'd been filling out the paperwork, made their way briskly out of the small room to see if I was telling the truth. They'd find the man and weapon quickly enough. Luckily, my sleeping powder would be harder to trace.

"I don't want to miss my flight. My friends are on it…. I… what should I do?"

"I'm sorry Miss, but you're going to have to stay here until we catch this man. If it's not too much trouble, we'd like a statement as well when you're feeling up to it."

"I understand," I hide my smile behind my hands as I wiped away the tears, sliding one foot closer to the door. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. We'll catch this guy, don't worry. You're completely safe." I lifted an eyebrow as I noticed how he had yet to remove his hand from my back.

"Um…" I palmed my watch to check the time. It didn't feel odd to me to be traveling after midnight, but doing it as myself was a new experience. "I'm really sorry, but… with how long customs took…" I let a blush cross my face and turned away from the man. He wasn't old for an officer, still in his early twenties, and it was obvious to me that most of his attention wasn't solely on consoling me.

"What's the matter Miss?"

"I…" I let the blush spread, getting embarrassed at myself for the first time. "I have to go to the washroom."

"Oh, sure thing." He let his hand slid down my arm and into my hand. "Come with me."

I followed him to the washroom, which I knew was further away from the plane. If I was going to make it to Kudo and Hakuba before the aircraft took off, I'd have to be quick.

The officer led me to the washroom and I gave him a faint, flustered smile. "Thank you."

"No problem Miss. I'll be waiting for you when you're done." I closed the door and raised my eyebrows at the guy.

"Lay off the ladies, would you?" I whisper somewhat sarcastically to the closed door. I distinctly heard the sound of urination, but ignored it. Walking into one of the open toilet stalls, I quietly closed the stall door behind me before standing on the toilet to take a section of the ceiling out. I quietly pulled myself up into the opening. Once I was inside, I placed the tile back. The officers would miss me when I was gone, but they had their man and the taser on him so that should be enough reason to hold him for at least a little while and hopefully stop anyone from finding out where we went.

Pretense aside, I had to hurry if I was going to make the flight. I'd also have to be prepared for some unwelcome visitors for when we get off the plane, but that would be simple. Hopefully.

I made my quickly though the ceiling, being sure to spread my weight around and not to go too far out for fear it might collapse underneath me. I found the ventilation leading outside and slipped through it quickly.

I eyed the floor, which was a good ten feet below me, and took a hold of the edge of the building. Once I lowered my weight out of the ventilation opening, I let myself fall. The runway wasn't as soft as it could have been, and I flinched when I landed hard on my ankles before absorbing the rest of my weight onto my hands.

Luckily, I made it to the plane before the platform had been taken away, bowing apologetically to the men who were going to move it.

I didn't need to look at my ticket stub to know where I was going, since I'd memorized the information when I'd first taken it out of the envelope. Hakuba had taken the window seat and Kudo was next to him. Both their eyes were closed, though Kudo made it a point to open his every time he heard an unfamiliar noise. I sat down next to him, trying not garner too much attention.

"Kuroba-kun, what do you think you're doing?" Hakuba asked me, with Kudo mirroring the detective's skeptical look with raised eyebrows.

"What do you mean? I'm not doing anything wrong," I smirked, flashing them the name on my ticket. Both stiffened at the unfamiliarity of my voice, but neither said anything. I eyed Hakuba a little longer and grabbed his arm, pulling the front of him across Kudo. Either Kudo was use to such antics, living with the drunk Mouri Kogoro, or he managed to predict it, because all the little detective did was lean further back into his seat to allow more room for me to work on Hakuba.

"Hey, let me go!" The detective wrestled with me, but I was able to get the bottle out of my pocket and thoroughly put the sticky liquid into his hair, making it look disheveled but now in a solid tone of black rather than brown.

I took a cloth out and wiped the excess hair dye off his hair and off my hands.

"Just a second," I grabbed his shirt again before he could pull away and opened the eyeliner with my teeth, lightly brushing it across his skin as he instinctively closed his eyes. I reached into my pocket and got another pair of contacts, _contacts which I would have to replenish soon if I kept using them at this pace._

"Hakuba, I'm going to put this in," I waved the contacts in front of him. "You can't move when I do."

"That's not necessary."

"Shut up," I unclipped my seatbelt and went over to him when he drew away the minute I couldn't hold him. Kudo just watched us in dry amusement as I placed my wrists across Hakuba's face as he tried to slip out from under me. However, before he could, I forced his eye open and he probably concluded then that moving while I did so was a bad idea because he suddenly stayed perfectly still. I heard him draw in a harsh breath and felt him twitch when I got the contacts in, partially in pain and partially because it was something new and he'd never had reason to wear them before.

"There," I held my hands up, forming a picture frame, admiring my work. He blinked and I saw one of his hands move to rub his eyes, but Kudo grabbed his wrist before he could.

"And now that we have the time, I think some explanations are in order, for everyone," I added as Kudo gave me a hard look. The plane was starting to take off and I distantly heard something said over the intercom as I went back to my seat. "Let's start at the beginning. Vermouth ran into us when we left because someone recognized Hattori when we met Kei-chan's mother. What was Vermouth after?" Even with a feminine voice, I could still make my tone harsh.

"A disc," Hakuba raised an eyebrow and a sarcastic smile crossed his face. "I thought that was obvious when she asked me for it."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Of course that part was obvious. The disc I took from you couldn't have been the one she was after though. I mean, there wasn't anything on there that you couldn't have found out by just going to the hospital."

"It wasn't," Hakuba leaned his head tiredly against the window and Kudo's fatigue was matched expect for the spark of interest in the younger boy's eyes.

"Hey, quick question for you," I leaned towards Kudo. "When's your birthday?"

"May, during Golden week, why?"

Ok, _older boy's_ eyes. I chuckled at the information that he was older than both the detective and me. "Nothing." I poked Hakuba's arm to get him talking again. "So…"

"So the disc the woman was after is different. It contains all the chemicals, radiation, and treatments that they had the mothers undergo during their pregnancies, along with what was done after the children were born. I brought this matter upon myself."

"What do you mean?" Kudo asked him. I figured I'd let the smaller detective interrogate Hakuba now since he'd know which questions to ask better than I would.

"I happened to have gone with Hisa-chan on one of her treatment days and the disc was sitting there. I was bored so I let my curiosity get the better of me and placed it in the computer." Hakuba's eyes were dull but I could see the gleam of something unpleasant in them. "Needless to say, I couldn't ignore what I saw."

"So Vermouth, no, the organization, is after you because you have this disc. Did anything stick out to you much? And how did they know that you took it?"

"Some of the chemicals were illegal and I'm sure they knew I took it by the simple fact that I didn't try to hide. I made it quite obvious that I had the disc and would go to the police with it. However, I wasn't aware just who I was going up against at the time."

"Just because you're the son of a high police official does not mean you're untouchable. Your self-righteous attitude is going to get you killed one of these days. I'm sure your above average smugness won't help you either," I mumbled.

"Shut up Kuroba-kun, it's not like I'd expect you to understand. I don't want you critiquing my actions when yours are so much worse."

"I keep my mouth shut when I know I should."

"I'm sure Vermouth would agree with you," the detective retorted sarcastically.

Kudo held up his hands between us to stop our arguing and looked at Hakuba. "So they didn't stop you in the hospital, but it must have become obvious that they were after you and the children."

"Yes, they tried to kidnap them before killing them so there were warning signs then."

"And you? Not to be cruel, but if you made it that obvious to the organization, I don't see how your family wouldn't know that they were after you. Why didn't they hand you over to them?"

"It wasn't for the lack of effort on their part, I can assure you" His tone lowered several pitches when he said this, almost bitterly. "If it wasn't for my father, I doubt I'd be here to talk to you right now."

"Right-"

"So where is this disc then?" I cut in. I was interested to know how the detective thought I would have any idea where the item was, especially when I never knew it existed in the first place.

"I can't tell you," he rested his head gently against the window and leaned against the side of his seat. I saw a brief smile flicker across his face, "for your own safety it would be better if you didn't know."

"Don't feed me my own words Hakuba. I doubt I could get myself any further into danger.

"There's always more danger…" his eyes fluttered open, but it was clear that he'd been fighting back sleep for too long now. "I won't tell you."

"Kuroba-kun," Kudo turned to me, redirecting my attention to him. "What happened with Vermouth?"

"You've figured out most of it, right?" a quick nod from the smaller boy told me I'd been right. "Well, she ran into us, but I spotted her before she could do any real harm. I got the bullets out of her gun so we were safe, but I'm afraid she knows a good deal about me at this point."

"Why, what happened?"

"We got to talking for a while. I don't know if she'd recognize me or not in the future, but I'd have to guess she would. There wasn't much hiding my features in the first place," I smiled down at him. "So you wouldn't happen to know her personally would you?"

"Unfortunately," Kudo sighed. "What made you ask that?"

Questions, questions, questions. Detectives were such predictable creatures.

"She let us go because I looked like you. Interesting, isn't it?"

"I met her a few years ago," he abated. "We ran into each other while she was pretending to be a serial killer. She had committed a crime and was fleeing when she almost died. I saved her."

"That clears a few things up." I flipped around some of my smaller gadgets in my hand, simply out of boredom. I glanced at Kudo a few times as he closed his eyes as well.

I wasn't tired, since I'd slept most of the previous day. but it would be better if we were all on the same time schedule so I let mine close as well.

The plane ride wasn't that long and I wasn't able to fall asleep like the detectives did, so I let my mind go blank as I listened indistinguishably to the voices around me.

…

"Excuse me…" someone shook my shoulder until I blinked my eyes open. I hadn't been sleeping, but I'd been listening to the conversation between a little boy and his dad subconsciously so I hadn't heard the stewardess. "We're landing shortly."

"Thank you," I replied under my breath, keeping my tone and voice feminine. Kudo and Hakuba were both still sleeping, so I let them be while I stretched.

"I wouldn't move if I were you."

"Well, clearly you aren't me so I don't think I'll be listening to you anytime soon," I laughed. "If you were me, this world would be a dark and scary place." I waved my hands around in a flourish and I heard her echoing chuckles from behind me.

"How'd you know it was me?" I flipped around, crouching into the seat so I could watch her over the headrest.

Akako slid further up into her seat and put her face so close to mine that I almost fell backwards trying to avoid her.

"I'd know you anywhere Kuroba Kaito," She smirked. "It also helped that you don't bother to hide your spirit from me."

"I, what? Never mind." I glared at her. "What do you want?"

"Go back home with me." Her tone was dead serious and I'd only heard her use it a few times before. "I don't know what you've gotten yourself into, but whatever is in Osaka is going to stay there. Your future is getting cloudy Kuroba-kun and I can't protect you when it's like that. Only bad things can come of you getting off this plane."

"So now you're worried about me?" I teased before turning serious. "Sorry Akako-san, but I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."

"As if you know what's good for you…and stop looking at me with that face," she huffed and I couldn't help but smirk. Akako shoved a hand in my face, effectively making me fall back into the seat that was in front of mine, which I then used as leverage to land seemingly back into a sitting position on my own seat.

"What'd you do that for?"

"If you're going to look like a girl, at least act like one." I could see her start to blush.

"Women…" I sighed and let her stand next to me, since I was the one near the aisle. "I'm going to Osaka whether you want me to or not."

"And if you die?"

"I've stared death in the face a few times now, and you didn't care to stop me then. I think you've been overestimating your abilities."

"Don't say that Kuroba-kun when you don't know what you're talking about. Lucifer told me about some crazy scheme you hatched up a few days ago and warned me specifically not to let you go to Osaka because something there will get you killed."

"Like I said, I can take care of myself."

"Why don't you ever listen to me?" The witch was getting fed up with me, but I was getting tired of this as well. I was grateful for all the problems in my life for once, since it meant I had the necessary ingredients to subtly shut her up.

"Akako-san," I held my breath as I got up and lifted her chin towards me, opening my fingers slowly. "I think-"

"Koizumi-san?"

_Damn._ I closed my fingers quickly as Akako tore away from me to gape at Hakuba. It seemed her supernatural senses didn't extend to the detective since she hadn't appeared to realize he was with me. Said detective now being black haired and brown eyed, instead of the strong British features he used to hold, would have scared her if she hadn't recognized his accent in just that one word.

"Hakuba-kun?" Her eyes darted between the two of us and wandered over to Kudo, who was rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up. I smiled and tapped her shoulder when her clueless expression didn't dissipate.

"I can take care of myself. Go home."

"But…" Her eyes narrowed at Kudo as if she were seeing something we weren't. The experiences with Kei and Hisa left me with some lingering sense that she _was_ seeing something I couldn't.

"Koizumi-san, what are you doing here?" Hakuba questioned her.

"She's not doing anything here because she's not staying here." I stressed to the sorceress. "I'll be back in a few hours when the next plane leaves, so just go home. While I appreciate your concern, I have enough to deal with here without your interference."

"I'm not leaving Kuroba-kun." She eyed the detectives with disdain. "Just what exactly is it that you've been doing?"

The plane had landed while we were having our conversation and people were starting to gather their belongings. I tapped my fingers restlessly against my side while I debated what to do with her. Akako could be hazardous to have around, with everything that was happening, and one stray thought of betrayal from her could get us all killed.

"I said I'm not leaving." The witch said with determination. "If you're going back, then surely you don't mind if I tag along."

"Fine!" I snapped at her. "Just don't do anything and stay out of the way."

Kudo looked at us both questionably, since we knew who Akako was and he didn't. Hakuba had a fair level of confusion about him as well, though he seemed to take it that I knew why Akako was here better than he did.

We got off the plane in silence, and she stayed behind me while we walked though the airport. She wasn't a particularly bad person or anything, but I could never feel completely comfortable in her company after all the things she'd pulled on me in the past.

"Kaito-niisan," Kudo pulled on my pants and it took me a while to answer him since I wasn't used to being called that. "Who is she?"

"Just another classmate of ours," I muttered lazily. "She's a witch."

"A witch?" He asked me with raised eyebrows. "So she's got a bubbling cauldron and everything?"

"Probably," I turned to her. "Do you have a cauldron?"

"Of course I do!" Akako answered like it was some kind of insult if she didn't.

"Well, there you go."

Kudo avoided getting too close to her after that, and I couldn't blame him. Curiosity aside, Kudo was a smart person with strong instincts, who obviously knew, on some level, that it would be a bad idea to get the witch angry at him.

It seemed the small detective had only been to the Osakan's house on one occasion, but his mind was sharp enough that he was able to direct our taxi driver there perfectly, even taking a few shortcuts along the way.

Kudo was the one who took out a card to pay the driver in the end. Hakuba gave him of a sheepish look, embarrassed that the child had to pay for our fare instead of him. I had no money on me, so I didn't really care.

We stepped out, and Akako got out of the front seat to watch us calmly as I waved goodbye to the driver and thanked him. A small motion caught my eye, but I kept smiling.

"Don't make any sudden movements, ok?" I told them in a tone that didn't match my expression. I put my hands in my pockets and made my way down the street, away from the house. The others followed me without hesitation.

Kudo was at my side after a few minutes, also sensing something wrong.

"How many?"

"There are three, no…" I looked off at the other buildings, but couldn't quite make out a form, "maybe four people with guns aimed at that house. I don't think we would have made it passed the first few steps."

"Hattori?" He asked, his voice low and scarier then I'd ever heard it.

"I don't know where he is, but if they got him I don't think they would have stuck around."

Kudo nodded, letting himself fall towards the back of the group.

I was looking for signs as I went, since it would be stupid if we did nothing but retreat. Hattori couldn't have seen the snipers. He was good, but I knew I had him hands down when it came to things like this. If the Osakan boy wasn't home, even though he had a good four hours on us, there wasn't anywhere else he could be, unless…

"Hakuba, what time is it?" I asked nonchalantly. I heard the detective flipped open his watch, while I turned to looked at him hold it under the light from a nearby streetlamp.

"It's exactly three minutes before two in the morning."

I didn't really care about the time, but the detective's motion did what it was supposed to do.

"Thanks." I looked carefully as I crossed the street before leading the others across. There was no one out that late anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. Once across, I backtracked the way we came and Kudo was at my side once again, though he didn't ask me any questions this time.

"Almost didn't see ya," A voice said, startling everyone but me as we made it to a small alleyway in-between two houses.

"I didn't see you at all, nice hiding spot," I smiled. I lost my humor quickly when I noticed the dark skinned boy was breathing faster than he should have been, and that there was a good deal of blood flowing down the side of his neck.

"Wait, how'd you know he was here?" Hakuba asked me, oblivious to the fact that Hattori was hurt.

"Your watch…" I twiddled with my fingers as I moved in on the other detective, "If he was nearby, I knew he'd see it, what with it being so dark and all, gold shines brightly…"

Kudo was on my heels as I moved Hattori's jacket collar away from the wound.

"Its nothin', just a scratch."

The cut really wasn't that bad. The wound was clearly made from a bullet, but it hadn't done more than rip some of his skin off between his neck and shoulder.

"You should still wrap it up."

I noticed him shaking for a minute as I went to get some things out of the inner pockets of my coat. I soon realized that the shaking was the result of him trying to holding something in, and not from pain or cold, when the Osaka detective burst into laughter. "What's so funny?"

"You are…" when he spoke a few laughs came out louder than they should have, so he tried to quiet himself down. "Ya keep talkin' to me wearin' that an' how do ya think I'm gonna react?"

I felt a little indignant as I realized I was still wearing the wig and makeup, though I'd defaulted to using my normal voice when I'd seen him. I took the wig off in a fluid motion and told him to shut up.

"Aw come on, it was funny…"

I let my smile come back. If Hattori was ok enough to laugh at something so stupid, then I knew he'd be fine. I carefully grabbed his coat away from him and saw him wince.

"Take your shirt off," I ordered him. Akako politely turned away and the Osakan looked at her with embarrassment before following my command. I had the gauze and bandages wrapped around him in no time and handed him one of my shirts, just a plain black t-shirt that would hide the blood if it got through. "Only keep your jacket on when you need to, since blood shows up well on green."

"I know," he zipped his jacket back up. "Thanks."

"Sure… what happened anyways?"

"Well there musta been some guys out there when I came back 'cause they took a few shots at me the minute I got off the bus. There's some bullet holes in my door-"

"I know. That's why I thought you might have run off."

"Yeah well, they missed me. I think it's more 'cause I was yellin' at Kazuha on the phone and they couldn't get me sittin' still. I ran off after that an' figured my dad or someone would notice. I'm surprised that you guys came lookin' fer me instead."

"We had a small run in of our own, so we figured you were in trouble too."

"So I'm going back ta Tokyo with you guys?"

"Oh no… what are we supposed to do now?" I asked Kudo and put a hand on my forehead. "I forgot to get him a ticket back with us."

"What?"

"I wasn't thinking at the time," I defended myself against the looks from the other two detectives.

"How'd you expect to bring him back with us?"

"I don't know! Ah forget it! I'm sorry about this Hattori-kun." I took out the slip of paper and handed it to him. "Just don't talk and you should be fine."

"What do ya mean?" I could already tell that he didn't like the sound of that.

"I can get myself on the plane easily enough, but that means you'll have to use you my return ticket."

"So what's wrong with that?"

Hakuba let out a quiet laugh when he realized what I meant, and Kudo let himself smile in amusement as well.

"I really don't like where this is goin'…" Hattori kept looking at me. "What wrong with yer ticket?"

"Well…" I let a wide smile cross my face as well. "I wasn't exactly traveling as a boy."

"Ya've gotta be kiddin' me."


	22. Picking up the Princess

Aw, everyone stopped reviewing again... :(

Well anyway, no, I'm not purposely introducing EVERY DC/MK character, it just kind of happens.  
Totally coincidental.  
It's also fun having characters, who have never met before, in the same room as each other

* * *

_**Chapter 22: Picking up the Princess**_

"I can't just leave Kazuha! Ya know they'd go after her to get to me if they had ta!" Hattori shouted at Kudo, once we were safely away from his house. "How can I just leave her when they could use her against me?"

"Hattori, we can't protect everybody," Kudo said coolly. "If we take Kazuha, we'd have to take your parents as well, and then they would know something's up. Involving more people is unnecessary, and I'm sure Kuroba-kun doesn't need any more witnesses."

"If it's important to him, I'm fine with the girl coming," I spoke out, receiving a glare from Kudo. A bit more meekly, I added, "Though I can't say that having your parents at my house would be a welcome experience, especially considering who your dad is."

"Hattori, if Kazuha were to come, it would only put her in more danger. Right now your position in this investigation is permanent, but _they _don't know that. You were seen with Hakuba _once_ and, based on their previous experience, they should know that they can't use you. If Kazuha is seen with us, it would just put everyone in more danger."

"Conan-kun," I bent down to Kudo's level and turned him around so that he was facing me. "Do you think they'd hurt the girl to get to us?"

It took him a while to answer. "It's possible, though I still think she'd be in more danger with us than not."

"I don't like it when people are in danger and I can stop it. If Hattori-kun thinks we should bring her along, I'm not going to stop him."

"What? But it'll just make everything worse!"

"Not for you, Tantei-kun, so I don't think I'm going to let you have any say in the matter." I turned to Hakuba. "Do you mind bringing the girl along? If anyone, this would hinder you and me the most."

"I agree with Conan-kun, in that I don't think it's a good idea either," Hakuba answered honestly, "Though I won't stop Hattori-kun either if he decides to bring her along."

"Ha, it's settled then. Kazuha's gonna come back with us," Hattori exclaimed.

"Wait just a minute! Do you have any idea how much more dangerous this is going to be while we're looking after her too? This isn't some board game where the more pieces you have, the better your chances of winning! If one of _them_ sees either of you on the street, it's going to be like a beacon to our location!"

"But Kudo- damn it! Conan-kun, if we leave her here, they could kill her!"

"Hattori, quit acting like a child! You're a detective, so think like one and use your head instead of your heart! Do you think she'd be in danger here?"

"I don't know 'cause I don't go associatin' with murderers so I don't know what they'd do! I'd feel better if she was with us than on her own and in danger!"

"Excuse me," Akako cut in. "I've got a few questions for you."

"Who's she?" Hattori asked and Kudo just shrugged his shoulders. Akako didn't bother to give him an answer.

"You're working with Kuroba-kun on something dangerous, right?"

Hattori raised his eyebrows at me and I shrugged my shoulders in indifference.

"I guess so."

"And you're in trouble because someone is trying to kill all of you?" She said it so carelessly, it annoyed me. With everything that was going on, her interference was one of the last things I needed, or wanted.

"Yep."

"And you have a friend nearby, where we are now, who might be in danger if you leave her here, but would be in danger if you brought her with you as well?"

"No!" Hattori's said in a definite voice. "As long as I'm there, she'll be safe."

"But in the process, you would endanger everyone around you, right?"

"Now just a minute! You've no idea what's goin' on so why should-"

"Uh, uh, uh." Akako waved a hand in front of him, shutting up the Osakan. A strange daze appeared on Hattori's face as soon as the two made eye contact.

_That's something new._

"So if she can't be with you, and she can't be here, then there's a very simple solution."

"What's that?" Hattori asked as if he were half asleep. I elbowed Akako to get her to stop whatever it was she was doing while Kudo looked on at us with fear and questions playing around his features.

"Knock it off!" I growled.

"Sorry," she waved her hand again, "reflex. That doesn't mean I don't have the perfect solution to your problem."

"And what would that be?" Hattori shook his head, trying to clear it from whatever Akako had done to him.

"She can stay with me.

We were all silent for a while.

"I wouldn't trust you with my left sock," I muttered, "There's no way I'd trust you with Kazuha-san's safely when there's so much at stake."

"Now that's not a nice thing to say, Kuroba-kun," she snaked her hand up my face and I felt shivers run down my body. "I won't let anything happen to her."

"We could say that Hattori's on a difficult case and tell her the truth, that someone might go after her because he's so close to her," Kudo started thinking aloud. "It would keep her safe without endangering anyone else."

"Except her," I tried to get Akako's hand out of my face, but she just shifted it to grab the back of my hair. "Akako-san, will you let me go already?"

"Why do you hate me so much?" she asked in a dejected, but still seductive voice.

"I don't hate you," I let Kid's smile wander to my face and grabbed her hand into mine, leaning forward so our faces were less than an inch apart and I could feel her breath on my face. With an embarrassed flush, Akako backed off and I was able to free my hair from her grasp. I took her hand and kissed it, turning my smile devilish. "I just don't trust you as far as Conan-kun there could throw you."

"Kuroba-kun, you…you…" She seethed; still a bit flustered and unlike her usual poised self, I managed to grab her other hand before she could hit me in the chest with it. It wouldn't have hurt, and any other day I wouldn't mind, but I was still injured and I didn't want to risk her hitting me in the wrong spot.

"Akako-san, I'm serious," I whispered into her ear. "This isn't like one of those little games I've played with you in the past. I don't know how this one's going to end, and I can't risk your attitude changing on me."

I smiled and drew away from her slowly, so she could comprehend how important every action I took was.

"Kuroba-kun, I wasn't offering my help because I have ulterior motives. If this was why I was supposed to come here, to make sure that she didn't go back with you, then that's what I'm going to do."

"And the minute you get pissed off at me?" I asked honestly.

"I'll do my utmost not to blame it on some girl who barely knows you, considering I've never seen you go to Osaka, at least not very often."

I looked at her unrelentingly for a few seconds as she held my stare. I really didn't feel like having more people at my house and more people in on my secret, if I didn't have to. So far I'd kept it from the whole of Japan, but with my track record recently, that wouldn't last long if I didn't change something.

"Hattori-kun." The Osakan, along with the other detectives, had been watching us intently, though they hadn't heard our whispered conversation over the noises of the small town, "Would you mind if Kazuha-san stayed at Akako-san's, or would you prefer it if she came back with us?"

"Ah…" he looked to the side. "I don't know. Ku- Conan-kun has a point an' I can understand where he's commin' from 'cause Kazuha's not the kinda girl to keep her nose outta things an bein' with us would make everything harder." He raised his eyes to look at me and waved a hand over at Akako, "But I don't know her, so I can't judge which one'd be the better option."

"So it comes down to which one you think would be better," Kudo looked up at me with clear and doubtful eyes. "I don't know anyone else she could stay with."

"Neither do I," Hakuba spoke up. "If Koizumi-san doesn't mind, I don't see why you're hesitating."

"Grrr," I eyed the witch as she smiled in victory, "I get to decide what to do with Kazuha-san then, right?"

Nods from the others made her smile dim and mine grow. "Fine, then you have to listen to what I say." I placed a hand on the sorceress's shoulder and bent down to her level. "Don't get yourself into any trouble with her, 'kay?"

Akako eyed me doubtfully as I continued to smile.

"I think I'll trust you this one time. Don't let me down."

"Why would I do that? I said I would watch the girl."

"Thanks," I messed up the witch's hair a bit and she glared angrily back with a blush on her face. "Don't do anything too weird around her either."

"Kuroba-kun!"

Unlike Aoko, Akako wasn't as outright violent; though I wouldn't put it pass her to get me with some sort of spell later.

Unfortunately, for Hattori, that wasn't the kind of payback she had in mind.

The Osakan called a cab for us once we'd walk a good distance away so that it wouldn't draw suspicion to his neighborhood. Not that we weren't already suspicious looking, considering that we were three teenage boys, a girl, and a child walking around at whatever ungodly hour of the morning it was.

The taxi driver eyed us for a bit before Akako pushed me out of the way when I tried to get in.

"Hey!" I yelled at her, "What'd you do that for?"

"You sit in the front this time," the witch opened the passenger door for me and I saw a crafty look cross her face.

"What are-"

"Kuroba-kun, just get in." The detective pushed me from behind, making me hit my head hard against the frame of the car.

"Hakuba, don't be so mean!"

"Don't be so loud. I've gotten very little sleep as it is and I don't want you making my headache any worse, so stay in the front."

"Jerk."

As soon as I settled into my seat, I tried to turn around to look at the back. With my seatbelt on, I couldn't see much. Kudo was forced to sit on Hakuba's lap since the detective had gotten in first. Both of them averted their gaze and looked very uncomfortable. Akako went along the other side and sat in the middle, making it so Kudo didn't have the chance to move. Hakuba took the seatbelt, gingerly making it go over both of them without drawing them closer then they needed to be.

Getting uncomfortable with the seatbelt biting into me, I sat back into my seat and just observed the back through the mirrors around me. The witch was making herself comfortable next to Hattori while he was trying to back away from her with an awkward smile. Unfortunately, for the Osakan, the taxi was small and they were cramped enough in the back that there wasn't much room for him to move.

_This is why I hate being in the front; I can't see anything, _I complained in my mind.

"So," the seductress started in on him, "What's your name?"

"H-Heiji… Hattori Heiji. And you?"

That made me turn back around. I'd never heard a detective stutter before unless it was something that truly bothered them.

I was surprised when Akako's hand was on his chest, though I noticed the fog was back in his eyes.

"Koizumi Akako." I could see that she was planning something by the wicked smile on her lips.

"Hey Akako-san I told you to-!"

"Knock it off! If you're gonna fidget around in my car, then I'm kicking you out!" The driver startled me by saying. I watched them a bit before letting myself fall back into my seat, still trying to keep my eyes on them through the mirrors. I heard a small laugh escape the witch.

"Am I bothering you, Kuroba-kun?" she whispered toward me.

"No…"

She stroked the Osakan's chest after playing with the zipper on his jacket and getting it down a few inches.

"Good, because I wouldn't want to do anything that would make you mistrust me."

"Akako," I growled, "Stop it."

She took Hattori's chin in her fingers and the dark skinned boy could do nothing, but let her, smiling a little at her touch. She used her other arm and wrapped it in his, snuggling up next to him.

Hattori tilted his head to see her better, and I could have sworn he was about to kiss her.

"Hattori," Kudo's cool voice cut into the atmosphere like a knife and the distance in Hattori's eyes started to fade.

"Ah…" he mumbled, blinking as reality was coming back to him.

"Koizumi-san, what are you doing?" Hakuba's voice added to the silence, though I couldn't see him using the mirrors since he was sitting behind the driver. The witch relented as she disentangled herself from Hattori.

"I wasn't doing anything." She positioned herself back into her seat for the rest of the ride and I was sure that Kudo must have been watching her closely after that. Hattori, for his part, seemed embarrassed and kept staring out the window and was unwilling to meet anyone's eyes.

Kazuha's house was big as well, with a small iron fence surrounding it. We stood outside of it for a while, debating on what to do after the driver had left.

"Hattori-kun," I asked him. "You do realize it's…" I looked at Hakuba.

He sighed and flipped his watch open again, though I noticed he covered it with his hands to stop any light from reflecting off of it. I laughed a little at that.

"It's twelve minutes to three in the morning."

"Right," I started at Hattori, "So are we just going to walk in and say, '_Hello, sorry for waking you up, but you have to come with us right now to stay at this girl's house, who you've never met before for reasons you can never know_'? Anyone else see the problems here?"

"'Course I do." He closed his eyes in thought, "But if I talked to her, I'm sure Kazuha would understand. I just don't know how I'm gonna do it with her dad there an' she won't pick up her phone."

"Wait here," I jumped the fence and made my way quickly across the yard. I could hear one of the detectives call my name, but I was unable to distinguish which one it was.

I did a quick lap around the house before coming to the conclusion that Kazuha's room must be on the second floor. I unwound a small grappling hook. The hook worked better than the wire I'd been using earlier, since the wire had the potential of coming undone easier. I ascended to the roof in no time and slipped into an open window I had seen from the ground.

_Too bad it's not her window,_ I thought when I landed smoothly into a largely undecorated room whose only furnishings were a large television and a table in the middle of the room. I tried to be quiet when opening the door, but the sound of old wood was hard to hide when I didn't have anything to put on the hinges. _Ok, so I wasn't prepared for EVERYTHING. So what?_

The wooden floor wasn't any better, but I compensated by staying closer to the foundation and only taking as many steps as needed.

The first few rooms I peeked into were deserted. When I finally came to one that was occupied, I had no doubt that it was her father's. The room itself was plain and a bit on the obsessive compulsive side by the sheer tidiness of it. The only thing that gave it individuality was the coat that was hung on a hanger on the closet door handle. I quietly closed the door shut, risking the noise, because I was sure the man would notice if it was ajar.

Kazuha's room was right next door and she didn't seem to have inherited any of her father's neatness. Books and bags were scattered across her room, though a desk with a light in the corner seemed to have enough space to work on.

The girl was sleeping in her bed. I managed to make my way over to her without stepping on anything.

"Kazuha-san," I whispered and shook the shoulder that was peeking out from her down comforter. She mumbled something that I couldn't make out, something about the time, and rolled on her other side so she was facing away from me. "Kazuha-san."

"What do you-?" She started to say loudly and I covered her mouth before she could wake anyone up. That was a very bad idea on my part.

Kazuha squirmed around. I tried to give her enough room to move back to her original position and face me, without letting any of her screams get through. That also, unfortunately, gave her enough room to strike out at me and I almost drew back when she elbowed me hard in the chest.

"Kazuha-san, don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here with Hattori-kun," the name seemed to get through to her as the onslaught of fists died down. "I swear I'm not trying to do anything to you. I wasn't trying to scare you. Please don't scream." I wasn't going to explain things until I knew she was calm. I slowly removed my hand and she watched me with wide eyes.

"Who are you? What do ya want?"

"Kuroba-kun. We met earlier," I massaged the place where her elbow had made contact. I didn't know much about the girl, besides her name, but now I had no doubt anymore that she could take care of herself in a fight. "Hattori-kun's outside. He couldn't get a hold of you because you turned your phone off."

"Oh yeah, I remember you," her face went from worried to angry in an instant, "What the hell do ya think you guys're doin' at this time of night? At MY house?"

"Um, it would be better if Hattori-kun spoke with you about that. Do you mind coming with me now, or are you going to put up a fight?" I joked with her. Apparently, she didn't take sarcasm well if her glare and beginning fighting stance was any indication. "Joking!" I held my hands up in surrender while I tried to keep my voice down. "I was just joking!"

"Oh," she lowered her hands and looked at me for a second. I backed up when she leaned over to get something from underneath her bed. "Why do guys hafta act so immature all the time? Sit down!" she commanded me. I sat.

"Ouch," I complained as Kazuha put something cold and wet against my face that stung on contact.

"Let me guess, you ran into a cat too." Her eyes narrowed at me, but she cleaned the few scratch marks on my face that I gotten from falling into Kudo's bushes less than half a day ago.

"We've got some dangerous felines around here." Kazuha knew I was lying, but didn't say anything for a few seconds. "You know you don't have to do this."

"You're not a detective either, right? I know what it's like being around those idiots an' if ya don't take care of yourself, yer not gonna get far."

"Thank you…"

"So Heiji wants to talk to me about somethin', _now_," she sighed. "That boy had better get a normal time schedule."

"I think we should get going, they're waiting outside." I tried to move away from her when she put the cotton ball against my other check, but she held onto my jacket firmly.

"_Let 'im wait! It serves that idiot right!_" she paused for a second and got off the bed to look down at me. "Are ya wearin' makeup?" 

"Ah, maybe a little," I admitted, she must have taken a good deal of it off when she was cleaning the cuts. I stood up and took her hand. "We really should be leaving now. It's not safe."

"What's not safe?"

I wasn't going to lie to her, but I wasn't going to tell her anything Hattori wouldn't want me to, so I remained quiet. Instead, I dug out a sheet of paper from one of the many clutters around us and passed it to her. A pen was harder to find and it took me a few minutes before one showed up near her bed.

"Write a note to your dad saying that you went to school early. You can explain whatever you want to him later, but for now just put that."

"Ok…" She said doubtfully, "Yer not kidnappin' me or anything are ya?"

"No, just write the letter so we can leave." I had no way of assuring her otherwise; so all I did was look away to prove to her that I didn't care what she wrote, as long as her dad wasn't going to be using every available police officer to look for his daughter when she wasn't there in the morning.

"Done," she said after a few minutes.

"Good." I took her hand back into my own and lead the way to where I had come in, louder this time because Kazuha didn't know how, or wasn't attempting, to hide her footsteps.

The window to the room was still open and the rope hung seamlessly on the obscure part of the house. "Ladies first," I bowed slightly to her and gave her access to the rope.

"Why don't we just go out the front door?"

"Because it's too easy for us to be spotted and this worked well for me when I came in, it should making leaving just as easy."

"_This_ is how you got into my house?" I felt her eyes reassessing me. "Who are you?"

"Just a friend. Now come on before we get caught." I gave her a gentle push towards the window and she climbed down the line faster than I thought she would. _Preconceived notions should NOT be counted on in the future, _I reminded myself.

I landed in the grass next to her, dislodging the hook and rolling it back up into a pocket that was reinforced to hold such things. We went the long way around the house to avoid walking any closer to her father's room than we had to. The detectives were looking rather annoyed when I perched on top of the fence to help Kazuha over so that the gate wouldn't screech if she opened it.

She must have been athletic, probably some sort of martial artist based on that elbow thrust to my chest, because she was able to get over without my help and wasn't hesitant in any of her movements.

Hattori had his arms crossed and was shivering in the cold. The jacket he was wearing was tied around his waist, with the collar tucked in so that no one could see the blood.

"Kazuha-"

"Heiji, ya'd better have a _very _good explanation fer this!" She growled at him.

"I do Kazuha, don't worry 'bout it. I'll tell ya what I can, but we gotta get outta here first." The dark-skinned teen showed his agitation at sitting still, though Hakuba and Kudo seemed fine so I took it to mean they hadn't seen any danger while I was gone. I couldn't help looking around anyways. Akako was discreetly eyeing Kazuha and I was grateful she hadn't tried anything on Hattori while I wasn't around to stop her.

"Hey, now that we've got Kazuha-san with us, she can use my ticket." I smiled. "I was thinking about it inside. You three go back together while Hattori and I can take the train. I don't think it would be a good idea anyway if I tried to sneak him on the plane. Someone might found us out."

"Why would you and Hattori-kun take the train? Wouldn't it be easier if Conan-kun or I traveled back with him, since they might already know what you look like Kuroba-kun?" The detective asked me.

"Let's just say I made a small commotion before I left, and I don't want to be around to face up to it."

The real reason I didn't want to go back was because the man had seen me with only green eyes and a slight scar. If there were others that had been informed that Hakuba had been on that plane, then it would be too easy for them to spot me amongst the group. I could wear a disguise, but Kazuha was already suspicious of me so I didn't want to do anything 'unusual' around her.

"We hafta take the train?" Hattori looked at me wearily and held his arms closer to his chest.

"Here," I shrugged my jacket off and handed it to him. "It's not that warm, but I've got a sweater so I'll be fine. You shouldn't have been wearing short selves under yours."

"Like I knew I wouldn't be able to wear my _own_ jacket," He mumbled with half-closed eyes. "Ya sure you're ok?"

"See this," I lifted my sweater off my chest with a thumb, "S-w-e-a-t-e-r. Now see this," I took a hold of his shirt sleeve. "Not sweater. I'll be fine as long as we don't decide to visit the arctic on the way home."

Hattori conceded to my logic and put it on. "Just watch the pockets, will you? I don't want you messing up any of my stuff."

"Nothin's gonna go off on me is it?"

"Not unless you run into a bull or something. Most of my stuff is fail-safe."

"Most?" Hattori paled a little and quickly unzipped the jacket, making it easier for him to take it off later.

"I'm going with you too."

I sighed at the voice behind me. In a good natured way, I turned to face Akako and smiled, "I don't think so. I _thought _you were here to let Kazuha-san stay at your place. What would be the point of that if you were with us?"

"Heiji…" Kazuha looked at Hattori at this new bit of information. "What's goin' on?"

"Ah, Kazuha, come her a second will ya?" Hattori lead the girl away. As she followed him, she sent the rest of us a very confused and worried look.

"She's not stupid," I mumbled. "Hattori-kun can lie to her, but I think she'll figure us out before long. Hopefully, she stays put long enough for us to take care of everything."

"She should. It's not like she knows where you live. And even though I don't know Akako-neesan, you seem to trust her. I don't think she'd give your address away just because Kazuha-neesan's worried," Kudo remarked quietly and turned to smile at the witch, "Right?"

She gave Kudo a dark smile, but that was how she normally looked. "No, you're not ready to die just yet," she said when she looked up at me.

"Ha, how ominous," I laughed. "So when _am _I going to be ready to die?"

"After I've gotten you for myself of course." The witch walked up to me and folded my collared shirt so it was tucked into the sweater. "No one is allowed to have you before I do."

"Well Guardian Angel-san, I think that-"

"Heiji, do ya really expect me to just sit still while you go off runnin' inta danger?" Kazuha's yell broke up our conversation and Akako let some distance grow between us while I turned to watch the two argue.

"Shhh. Be quiet will ya? Are you tryin' to get us noticed?"

"But Heiji-"

"Nope, ya ain't commin' with. So you can either stay here, where it may not be safe, or ya can let me relax a little by knowin' yer somewhere that is."

"Do you still have it?" She asked him in a quiet voice, so quiet I almost couldn't make out her words.

"'Course I do," Hattori pulled out the little pouch around his neck that I'd taken from him earlier. Now that it seemed like something important, I was disappointed that I hadn't looked at what was inside. "Now will ya go with them?"

"Sure thing Heiji, but… be careful, ok?" Kazuha whispered and turned away from him. Hattori smiled back at her, though she couldn't see it, and made his way over to me.

"So we're goin' right? I can pay for the cab."

"How is it that all you detectives have so much money?" I grumbled.

"It's because we come from rich families. Even if we didn't though, I'm sure that we'd still be detectives." Hakuba laughed at me, "Though it is quite funny that we all have more money than you do."

"You don't receive money in my kind of work."

"Which is where the controversy begins," the detective added, lowering his voice so Kazuha couldn't hear us. "A thief who doesn't make money off of what he steals."

"Oh yes, that's hilarious. I feel so good knowing that I could be swimming in cash if I wanted to."

"Why don't you?" He narrowed his eyes at me, "What's the purpose of stealing if nothing is gained by it? Is it some sort of game for you?"

"Uh, Uh, Hakuba. I thought we agreed that we weren't going to bring this subject up again." I waved my finger in front of him. "Go satisfy some other need of yours."

"You can't keep the truth from me forever you know." His grin was just a few shades short of the smug one he used when threatening me; he was serious. "I _am_ a detective after all. Our job is to find the truth."

"You can try, though it's not like you've succeeded in anything when dealing with me in the past."

"Oh, I've succeeded more than you'll ever know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Hakuba shrugged his shoulder. "It means nothing."

I eyed him for a bit before two cabs showed up. Hattori and I get into one and the other four get into the other. Kudo purposely went in first and got dibs on the front seat, probably so that neither girl would be tempted to put him on her lap.

"Akako-san!" I shouted out the window before the witch got in. "Thank you."

She nodded to me as our taxi driver took off towards the train station.

I sat back into my seat and looked at Hattori.

"Don't meet her eyes next time and you should be fine. I'm not a hundred percent sure that will work though, since I've never had anyone who really tried it."

"Has she ever done that to you?" Hattori flushed a bit at the memory, though it was hard to tell with his dark skin, "I mean, I didn't _want_ her and then all of a sudden she was just, _there. _Like there was no one else but her and I just wanted to be near her."

"Nope, never happened to me." I continued to look at him, but he seemed downhearted by the fact that he was the only one who it _had_ happened to. "But I'm special. I've seen her do it a dozen times before you."

"How do ya stop it?" He turned back to me and I could tell he was angry at himself.

"I don't know. I guess I must do it unconsciously. If I did know, I'd tell you. I think it's good that it works on you though, it means you're normal." _Well, as normal as an Osakan teenage detective/kendo champion who's best friend is a shrunken detective, could be._

"And you aren't?"

"Me? Normal?" I smiled impishly. "Whatever gave you that impression?"


	23. Misconstrued Occurrences

_**Chapter 23: Misconstrued Occurrences**_

"Ya sure you're okay?"

"I-I'm f-ff-fine." I tried to reassure Hattori. Shivering a little, I rubbed my arms in an attempt to warm myself. "O-Once we're on the train," I tried again, managing to not chatter as much this time, "it'll b-be warmer."

"'Kay…suit yerself," said the Osakan skeptically as he turned away from me on the bench to watch a small crowd of teenagers gathered around the front entrances of the station. Considering the time, they must have been delinquents, since no other teenager, besides us, would have been out that late on a school night, at a train station.

_I wonder what people think if us? _I asked myself and smiled. _Whatever it is, I'm sure Hattori won't be too pleased about it._

Hattori had covered my ticket fare, making me feel kind of guilty. If Hakuba had felt his conscience for letting Kudo pay for the cab ride, my guilt was at least twice his. The tickets for the bullet train weren't exactly cheap and I had no way of repaying Hattori.

The Osakan detective didn't bother hiding a yawn from me. "I really wanted ta just be home for a while an' get some sleep." His smile was wry. "I guess that ain't gonna happen for a while now, after this."

"Afraid not," I leaned against the bench and stretched as far as I could. "But it's not like you're alone, right?"

He shrugged and a thought occurred to him.

"You don't work alone, do ya? I always thought that ya must've someone helpin' ya out." The Osakan's eyes were a slightly wider then they were a second ago, but not prying. I remained silent and he shrugged his shoulders again, his focus back on the teenage mob.

"Most of the time I work alone," I answered after a few minutes of contemplation. I found myself satisfied when he jumped a little at hearing my voice, clearly not expecting me to answer. _I love it when I surprise people._

"Kudo told me once that ya had an accomplice. I don't think he was lyin' to me." Hattori's eyes turned away from me. It was clear he didn't think I was telling the truth.

"I do have an accomplice," I amended, "That doesn't mean I like to take advantage of them. I've rarely rely on others unless it was necessary to pull off my magic."

"Why?"

I looked at him a little confused until the Osakan changed the wording of his question.

"Why don't you use them? Isn't it safer if ya have a partner?"

"I can't."

Hattori watched me for a while, waiting to hear the rest of my answer. I sighed.

"It would put them in too much danger if I did. I only ask my partner for help when I can't get away from a situation as both Kid and myself."

"_Partner,_ not accomplice. An' ya still feel comfortable callin' them yer _partner_ when ya don't even rely on them for help? I feel sorry for them havin' to put up with you. Hakuba-kun was right for once, ya really do have a bad judgment when it comes to yer own life."

"I didn't realize the inner workings of my mind were up for discussion between you two." I waved a hand in front of him and conjured up a Royal flush, all the cards hearts. "Contrary to your beliefs though, my judgment is perfectly sound. There are reasons why I can't use my partner's help. Reasons you don't understand, so don't pretend you know what's going on. Despite what you detectives might believe, you guys don't see everything. You see only the basic workings, but not every thought and emotion involved.

"'Cause it's you. 'Cause it would ruin yer magic, right? You're the one who not showin' anyone what it is ya do so don't treat us like idiots when we can't follow yer thinkin'. We ain't ya, so dun't expect us to be able to think like ya," snapped Hattori, his tone sharp and angry.

We both fumed silently at each other for a while after that. I wasn't going to tell Hattori how right he was. A part of me had always thought of everyone as being somewhat lesser because they couldn't see through me, in that they were blind and I was better. That _wasn't_ how it worked. That kind of thinking was wrong. I wouldn't admit to seeing the world one-sided recently, before all the mess started happening, because being close to the detectives was giving me a contradicting view point. _Why was it I could feel for strangers on the street and get a sense of their hurt, but not have the same concept follow for any of the detectives I'd met?_

_Because detectives don't like being hidden from, so it's harder to keep secrets when they insist on prying. Strangers don't do that._

"Sorry," Hattori apologized. "I didn't mean to make the situation worse. Pretend I never said anythin'."

"Well, that's going to be hard," I huffed, a grin growing on my face. "Considering I haven't learned how to turn back time yet, I think it's a physical impossibility for me to not have heard and participated in our conversation."

"_Yet?_ Well, tell me what ya do. There's a lot of things that I'd like to change 'round as well. Maybe ya can find a way to turn time forward too. I'd like to see Tokyo pink… wait, blue, when ya manage it."

"Maybe I'll stop by Osaka while I'm still drunk," I joked.

"Don't ya even think of doin' that in my town," Hattori was only half joking at the threat. _It would be that much more fun to mess with him then._

"I make no promises."

That atmosphere was considerably calmer after that. The train still took another five minutes to arrive, but at least the silence while waiting was no longer as awkward.

When we got on, Hattori lead the way towards the end of a section of the train. We ended up sitting where the seats faced away from the windows. Practically collapsing into his seat, Hattori took a deep breath and looked like he was ready to fall asleep before the train had even taken off.

"Get some rest. I'll wake you up when we get there."

"Um?" He looked at me questionably, blinking sleepily. I wasn't sure what he was asking so I looked back at him in confusion. Clearing his throat, he tried asking again, more coherently this time, "Ya sure? The train ride'll take a long time and if ya fall asleep too, I don't think they'll wake us up."

"I'm not tired."

The Osakan detective looked at me to make sure I was telling the truth. After all the sleep I'd gotten when I'd had the fever, which was completely gone now, and the rest on the plane, I really wasn't tired. I knew I'd be getting tired soon, but I could manage a few hours on a train. I've done worse on consecutive heists as Kaito Kid.

"Thanks," Hattori whispered as he laid his head to perch on his shoulder, with his arms on top of the seat. It was interesting to watch the Osakan detective fall asleep in seconds, though I'd pulled off the same a few times.

"Hello?" I humored myself by waving my hand in front of him a minute later to see if he was faking it. No annoyed reply came.

"Hm, this isn't any fun." I folded my arms and sat back into the seat, "What am I suppose to do now for the rest of this long train ride?"

…

I poked Hattori what felt like the hundredth time.

"Hey! Wake up!"

"Umph," the Osakan replied, putting a hand up to defend his face against my prodding. That left his stomach open, allowing me the opportunity to poke him there. "Wake up!"

"Knock it off Kazuha!" Hattori yelled at me and pushed my arm away, his eyes still more than half closed. It took a few seconds for him to realize where he was as his eyes slowly opened and the rest of him began to wake up from his nap.

"Humph, I feel insulted." I crossed my arms and turned away from him. "To think you mistook me for a childhood friend of yours, _who's a girl!_"

"Shut up will ya?" Hattori rubbed his eyes. "Are we there yet?"

"In about fifteen minutes. I woke you up a little earlier so that I wouldn't have to try getting you up when we reach our stop. I'm glad I decided to do that. Considering how long you took to finally get up, we would have been rushing off the train."

"That's fine," He yawned. "So what'd ya find to do while I was out?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that, yer Kid," Hattori smirked. "What'd ya do?"

"Nothing…much," I grinned. "You have my coat so anything big was automatically closed off to me."

"Damn," he laughed. "I wanted to see what ya'd do when there was no one to stop ya."

"That doesn't mean I didn't do anything." I stood up on the seat and spun one of the bars, which normally wouldn't spin, up in the compartment where people put their luggage. "It's not much, but this will guarantee that anyone who puts their stuff up here won't find it in the same spot when they leave."

"That's kinda childish," Hattori smiled back. "What did you _really_ do?"

"Ah, I've been predicted again!" I sighed with a smile, falling back into the seat without putting my feet on the floor first. "I may have messed with a few other things. Come here." I got up and Hattori followed me a little unsteadily as the train continued to move.

"Try sitting down, it really doesn't matter where." I waved my hands over at the folded up seats in the center of the train.

"I'm not gonna get hurt, am I?"

"'Course not!" my smiled dimmed, "I don't hurt people."

"I know, just makin' sure I wasn't the exception."

Hattori tentatively lowered one of the seats until it came to a stop where it normally does when someone sits on it. The Osakan was obviously trying to set of whatever it was that I had done, without making himself part of the experiment. When nothing happened, he raised his eyebrows at me while I continued to smile.

The other teen had no choice but to sit down to see what would happen. As he put his weight on the seat, he watched me carefully for any reaction. It took a second, but in the next instant, he found himself on the ground. The bottom of the seat was resting against his back, not hurting him when it gave way.

"Oi!" he shouted in surprise as he found himself on the floor. "How'd ya do that?"

"I made it weight sensitive." I rolled my eyes, _duh._ "Older people generally don't use these seats. They prefer to sit near the aisles and have access to the restrooms so I don't have to worry about them getting hurt. It's a simple enough trick that will be found out soon enough, but before then, I think it'll be funny seeing people fall on their butts."

The Osakan seemed to understand my humor since he grinned in amusement. I knew the other two detectives would have been furious had they known what I had done. "Cool. Kinda wish I could stay to watch the mornin' commute tomorrow."

"So do I." We smiled in unison and I helped Hattori to his feet.

Something soon caught his eye and I turned to see flashing lights out the window. My first reaction was ingrained in me in that my body immediately tensed up, ready to deceive or flee.

_That's a lot of police officers._

"I wonder what's goin' on." Hattori mussed out loud. Echoing my thoughts, he added, "That's a lot of police cars."

"And more reason for us not to be there," I stressed at the look in his eyes. "We can't be seen."

"I know that…" Hattori waved me off as he tried to get a better look outside as we passed the hoard of flashing red lights. "That doesn't mean I'm not curious."

"This has 'apocalyptically-bad-timing' written all over it," I whispered to myself. Luckily, Hattori couldn't hear me; he was still rubber necking at the view.

I saw him twitch as we arrived to the Tokyo train station about a minute later. We'd still have to take a cab or bus to get to Mouri's, where we planned to meet up with the others. While the police cars were in the opposite direction, it was still possible to get there on foot. I relaxed a little when Hattori stopped showing signs of uncertainty.

"Hey." The Osakan's voice was low as he looked up at me with a mischievous grin. "Tell Kudo I'm gonna be a little late gettin' back."

"Oh now you don't!" I tried to catch the jacket in my hands as he raced passed me, but missed by less than an inch. I sped after him as the doors closed behind me and wondered briefly why I even thought Hattori would do the sane thing and stay put. _We're far too much alike after all._

I was surprised when, after a few minutes, I had yet to catch up to him. The Osakan was remarkably fast on his feet and had rushed through the gates before I'd even rounded the corner. I let out a low, playful laugh and felt, not for the first time, like a cat chasing a mouse, or a cop chasing a thief.

Hattori didn't let up after we'd left the station behind; he was still running like his life depended on it. It occurred to me that he might not even know I was following him.

"Hey, slow down!" I shouted.

"What?" Hattori slowed to a jog and looked surprised when he finally noticed that I was behind him. When I caught up to him, his breathing was ragged while mine was still deep and steady. _He may be faster, but only if he's pushing himself._ It made me feel better to know that. Although that knowledge also made me angry at myself, for liking the fact that someone was lesser than me in some way.

"So what do you plan on doing when we get there? I don't think wasting all your energy by running there will help."

"You never know…," Hattori took in a huge gulp of air, obviously still out of breath, "what will happen. If ya don't try your hardest the first time, then you'll always regret, always wonder, if ya'd gotten there sooner, if things would be different." He breathed quickly between each pause and met my eyes. "Aren't you like that, too?"

"I don't usually have to run _towards_ something," I smiled. "I'm often doing the opposite."

"Oh, yeah. Well, dontcha see my point?"

"If I didn't, I would have dragged you back to the station already."

He smirked and picked up the pace. "Well come on then. The faster we see that it's unimportant, the faster I'll come back with ya and Kudo can stop havin' a heart attack."

There was a large crowd of police officers around the vicinity. It wasn't hard for the Osakan detective to take the lead, even though we were in Tokyo now and not in his hometown, since he was known well enough at this point in the area and we wanted to get by without protest, considering we must look like civilians to the officers there.

"EPP!" I drew Hattori in front of me as we got closer and hide behind him as best I could.

"What's the matter?" he whispered over his shoulder.

"Inspector Nakamori's here."

_Why would he be here at this time of night? Isn't he in the Tokyo Police's second division? Is there some kind of grand theft going on that I don't know about? _I was not happy at that last thought. Call me possessive, but the only grand thief that Inspector Nakamori should be chasing after should be me, as Kaito Kid, of course. Again, I mentally twitched at my seemingly ever growing ego.

"Who? Oh."

"Yes, someone who it would be a VERY bad idea for me to run into, Kid or not."

"So what are we supposed do?"

"Hold on a second, okay? And don't move."

Fortunately, Hattori and I weren't close enough to whatever was going on to draw attention. I rummaged through my little bag before turning to Hattori to pull a few things out of my coat pockets. In a minute, I had a long brown wig on that was tied back which, combined with my still overly gelled hair, made my head itch to no end. I also had some dark makeup around my eyes to make myself look older. No eye color changes were needed since I still had the green lenses on.

"Okay, I'm done." I turned to Hattori with a low voice, a hint of callousness added to the accent.

"Good 'cause some of them are commin' this way."

"Hattori-kun, what are you doing here?" Inspector Megure asked when he came over to us. "There are enough people here as it is!"

"Sorry Inspector, I just couldn't resist." Hattori smiled kindly to the heavy set man who I'd only come to know after a few too many trips involving Kudo. "What's goin' on?"

"I wish someone could tell me that as well. There are so many stories flying around, you'd think we were in an airfield." There was a definite weariness in the Inspector's voice as he spoke. "So far though, we've got at least four victims, all dead, and only one witness who's in hysterics at the moment."

"Do ya mind if I take a look?"

The Inspector put a hand on the Osakan's shoulder, inadvertently making him hiss in pain. The Inspector drew his hand back in confusion and concern.

"Hattori-kun, are you okay?"

"Yep," the teen moved his arm around to show he was fine, though I could see where he stopped the rotation when it became too painful. "I hurt myself in Kendo the other day. I guess it's still kinda sensitive."

"Well, there are enough officers as it is around the crime scene so I don't want you sticking your nose in there. If anything is going to turn up, they'll find it."

"Do ya know who the victims are? How they were killed? And are there any suspects?" Hattori dished out in full detective mode. "If ya won't let me see the crime scene, ya can at least tell me that, or are ya withholding information?"

"Hattori-kun…" the Inspector's eyes narrowed at him in wary submission. "This really isn't any of your concern. We can take care of it."

"Sure ya can, I just want ta know if there's anythin' ya may've miss. If I find something later, I'm _sure _everyone would want to know why ya didn't let me in, in the first place."

"You're worst than Kudo-kun," Megure sighed, accepting defeat. "Fine. If you want to know so badly, the four victims were all key congressmen who were trying to vouch for some new bill that favors large corporations. Lots of people were against them, so the list of suspects is rather long. However, they were all killed the same way. I would show you the scene, but it's rather… _graphic_." The Inspector stopped as he shook his head.

"How?" Hattori didn't let up. Obviously, he wasn't concerned about the violence involved, only the facts. Or maybe, he was just that focused. Either way, it was clear this was where the detectives and I differed. I didn't even want to imagine the scenario, let alone how the killer had done it.

"Each of them had their hands and feet tied up, with a gag in their mouth. One by one, the killer threw them off the top of that building." Megure looked up at the tall high-rise and I followed his gaze.

_That's maybe seventy floors, about three hundred meters tall. It would have taken quite a while for the victims to hit the floor. The last one to be thrown off must have been terrified watching the killer pick off his associates. _

I didn't realize I was shaking before Hattori nudged me with an arm. Noticing the movement, Megure looked over at me for the first time.

"Who's that with you Hattori-kun?"

"A friend of mine from Osaka, he won't get in the way."

"I should hope not," the Inspector watched me for a while, but continued with his story, "So, of course, all the victims died. The witness was a woman who worked as a security guard in an adjacent building. She heard the sound of the bodies falling and came out in time to see the last man murdered in front of her. She's still in shock right now, but we've managed to get some of her story."

"An' the killer? Did she see him?"

"That's one of the problems we've been-"

"You're all insane!" I heard Nakamori's voice over the noise of all the other officers, even though he was at least twenty yards from us. _Impressive, but that was Nakamori for you._ Aoko clearly got her lungs from her father in that regard.

Nakamori stomped away from the other officers, but didn't get far before finding somewhere to sit down and watch the investigation from.

"Damn, we are _not_ having this argument again!" The large Inspector snapped, directing his comment towards Nakamori, though there was no way the other man could hear him.

"So what's the problem exactly?" Hattori asked, trying to get the man back onto their original topic.

"Well, we know who the killer is, to an extent. The only problem is that there's been controversy between the officers. Even though this crime is clearly a homicide case, and thus under the first division's jurisdiction, this case is also under the second division's jurisdiction. Therefore, there's been conflict between the two divisions as to what should be done."

"Inspector you're avodin' answering my question!" Hattori spoke louder. "So what exactly _is _the problem?"

"Sorry Hattori-kun," the man allowed himself a small smile. "I've been a little distracted and I haven't had much sleep lately. The problem is that the one who killed the politicians essentially could have been anyone, but there was evidence that proved otherwise. We believe that Kaitou Kid killed them, but the officers from the second division won't believe what's in front of their eyes."

"You know WHO did WHAT?" I shouted at the Inspector in surprise. Hattori's eyes widened as he hastily pushed me behind him.

"Sorry 'bout that Inspector. My friend here… He's a fan of the Kid, like Suzuki-chan is."

"That's why we're running into so many problems." Megure put a hand to his head. "Almost everyone here is defending the Kid, but we've got proof that the real one is responsible."

"What proof?" Hattori asked while I tried to keep my mouth shut. Being loud and obnoxious was not going to help things.

"Takagi-kun!" The Inspector shouted over his shoulder. "You still have the evidence right?"

"Yes Inspector, do you want it?"

"No, I'm asking if you have it because I want to marry you. Of course I want it!"

"Sorry." the meeker detective stumbled towards us with a plastic bag in his hand. "I couldn't get any of the other officers to take it."

"I know." Megure sighed. "Here Hattori-kun, maybe you could show them that we're right."

I grabbed the bag from his hand before Hattori could take it.

"Oi, Kuro- ah…" Hattori went silent for a second, "Natsuki-kun! Give it back!"

_I'm really starting to dislike that nickname, _I thought to myself as I examined the bag. Inside could have been an exact duplicate of my father's monocle. The charm and framework were done with such precision that it was hard to believe anyone but me could have had it.

"That's not possible," I whispered out loud.

"Fingerprints?" Hattori asked.

"We dusted for some, but there aren't any."

"Don't ya find that strange?"

"Why would I?" Megure said without concern. "The Kaitou Kid wears gloves so why would there be fingerprints?"

"It's different, but only just," I whispered, not really tuned into their conversation, but somehow taking in the information. "Do you still have the other one?"

"Other what?"

"Ah…" Okay, so a civilian wouldn't know I'd dropped my monocle back when the Scorpion tried to shoot me. I figured the police had to have it somewhere. Hattori was also detained at the time, so he wouldn't know it either. The only other person who knew was unfortunately not here now. Where was Kudo when you needed him?

"Nothing I guess…" I muttered, shutting myself up as Hattori leaned over to whisper in my ear, though I didn't let the bag go when he tried to take it.

"So what is it? Is there any evidence to prove ya didn't do it?"

"That the Kid didn't do it," I whispered, "You never know who may be listening."

"Right," Hattori sighed. "So what've ya got?"

"The monocle's very close to my own. I don't know many who could have pulled off such a close replica." I held up the bag, but didn't take the monocle out since I'd leave fingerprints and suddenly pulling out white gloves to examine it might be pushing it, even if I was a 'friend' of Hattori's. "The fringe along the end is different. Not much, but it's thicker and shorter here than mine is. The charm is also made out of some kind of plastic, mine's made of stone. Ah… I mean Kid's is made out of stone. If they compared the two, I'm sure they'd noticed the differences."

"But it's not like ya can just hand one to yers to 'em," He sighed. "I'll find some way of changin' their minds."

"I don't have to give them one, they already have it."

Hattori raised his eyes at me.

"I dropped one a while back and I can't think of anyone who would take it, besides the police. If they just remember that, it would help, but… it still may not clear things up."

"Why not? It would rule out the fact that Kid's the murderer."

"No, it may just mean that all the monocles aren't alike. The differences are subtle enough that if _I_ weren't looking at it, it would go unnoticed, as it obviously already has."

"Then what am I supposed to do? I can't really prove that a guy hidin' behind a cape isn't or is you. I mean, even if they find the guy, they could just say that he _is_ Kid and yer the imposter."

"Some may believe you. I really don't know how to make this work out either Hattori-kun. I'm not like you detectives."

"I'm not expectin' ya to be," he smiled, a glint in his eyes. "This is all magic, an evil kind of magic, but still a trick this guy's usin' to try to escape from his sins by peggin' ya as the murderer. You just gotta see through what he did and help me prove yer innocent."

"Shall we go take a look around and see if we can see anything then?"

"That's the spirit!" Hattori brightened. "Ya've been lookin' kinda upset for a while."

"I'm not as fond of death as you and Kudo-kun are."

"Who's fond of it? If I don't face it an' find the killer, then it's just gonna happen again and someone who can't handle it may hafta face it instead of me."

"How noble of you," I said sarcastically.

"I'll let ya get away with that just 'cause ya don't understand. Say that to me again and I won't let ya forget it."

The Osakan's eyes darkened. I could recognize a threat when I heard one, and I didn't think I'd be able to stand up to his kendo skills. Magician and master thief I may be, fighter I was not. Running away didn't seem promising either. Who was Kid to surrender to anybody though? I mentally smiled at that. I'll let the subject fall for now; we had a murdering alter-ego to catch.

"I'm not really into this detective stuff, so don't rely on me too much."

"Hello," his eyes narrowed, but there was lightness back in his words, even if the words were said sarcastically. "I'm here. Why the hell would I need _another_ detective? I want ya as more of a, I guess a casual observer. If you see somethin' fast'en I do then only good things can come of it."

"Most detectives usually aren't so willing to accept help," I conversationally replied as Hattori started walking towards the building in question. The tension was creeping into my body, but I tried to ignore it.

"That's why most detectives don't have the same success streak as me. Kudo's got me pegged, but the guy's got more brains then a swarm of college professors."

I think he started to notice when my breathing sped up, even with how quiet I kept it. A picture can say a thousand words, but body language can tell novels. I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering. The fates must have been against me, since the crime scene was devoid of police officers and I was able to get a clear view of the bodies.

"Don't look, I'll do it." Hattori pushed me towards the entrance even as I continued to stare. _It was sick_. I could see where one man must have landed head first, skull crushed by the sheer force of gravity, and his back was bent over in an unnatural angle.

The blood was everywhere. I could even see splatters that had reached the building's wall even though it was ten meters up, away from the body. The others weren't in any better condition. The one towards the end of the bloody massacre had actually landed on the body of another man, one who looked too much like someone's kind elderly grandfather for anybody to want to kill in such a manner, and with such malice.

"I told ya to get inside. I'll meet ya in there."

"Sure," I mumbled. It was a miracle that I grabbed the handle on the glass door in time before Hattori pushed me inside.

The detective watched me for a minute while I stared blankly back at him. He left after a few seconds with a new determination. Even though I'd only seen the bodies for a few moments, my mind had already created a mental duplicate of it that came to me every time I blinked.

"I'm really not cut out for this," I said softly to myself aloud. I brought my hand up to mess up the hair of the wig. Combing through my own hair would have been a bad habit at one time in my life, if I hadn't stopped any unconscious action from giving me away. I sighed and leaned against the wall to wait for the Osakan to come back.

The minutes I waited felt like hours as my brain went over everything of its own accord. The position of the bodies, their hair color, approximate height and weight, my estimation of the times of each of their deaths, how much blood came from each, and a million other unpleasant facts that I couldn't help but think about.

"Thanks brain," I laughed to myself, somewhat bitterly. "Like I need to see this. As if I didn't already have enough on my plate. The detective is going to take care of everything, so why did I look? I've got to stop being so damn curious all the time."

"Hey, who ya talkin' too?"

My body tensed, no physical movement whatsoever accompanied it, as Hattori somehow snuck up on me.

"The ghost of Christmas past," I joked, putting on my poker face and not allowing Hattori to know he had startled me. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, there wasn't anything out of place on any of the bodies so I'm hopin' we find some sort of clue on the roof."

I pointed to the officers blocking the elevator and stairs. "How are we going to get up there?"

"Well, I'd prefer takin' the elevator, but if ya wantta take the stairs, I ain't gonna stop ya."

I glared at him while he went over to the officers. If he thought I'd missed the amused smile he gave me, he was mistaken.

"Hey guys!" Hattori spoke jovially to them.

"Hattori-kun." One of the younger officers greeted him back. "What brings you to Tokyo this time?"

"I was on my way to another case and I had to stop in. Can I see the top?"

"There are some second division guys up there right now," a different officer warned him. "I don't think they'd like you interfering. If it were just the first division officers, I could let you through, but we don't want to cause any more incidents."

"I'm a detective from the second division so don't worry about it," I chipped in, lying with ease. "They won't mind us."

The obvious coarseness of my behavior, that I'd fallen into for my new role, didn't inspire any confidence in them.

"Come on, if ya don't let me and my friend up, then the case is just gonna keep goin' on all night an' ya'll never get home."

"Fine Hattori-kun, but if anyone asks we weren't the ones who let you through."

"'Course not. Can't say I even remember yer face."

The four officers moved aside and I was surprised that Hattori had so much influence considering where he was from. I could understand the police accepting help from Mouri and Kudo, since they're both Tokyo detectives, but accepting assistance from the Kansai detective was strange.

I leaned against the side as the elevator went up. Hattori started saying something under his breath and I was going to ask him what it was before I realized he was just thinking aloud. I didn't catch what he was saying to himself so I decided to just let him focus without interruption.

The Osakan seemed like he was on autopilot. Once we reached the roof, he strode purposely over towards the other officers and I drew back when a familiar face caught my eye.

_What was Inspector Nakamori doing up here?_ At some point, I'd lost sight of the man when we were out front and now he was leaning against the edge of the building, too close to the edge for comfort, especially after what I'd seen below.

"Hm?"

Hattori looked back at me and I shrugged, smiling. I walked over to them with placid indifference.

"Why are they letting kids up here?" One of Nakamori's officers yelled. The man himself was busy staring over the edge, too lost in thought to hear his officer's loud complaint.

"We came to help ya!" Hattori kept the cheerfulness in his voice even with the harsh looks that we were getting from everyone on the roof. The other officers weren't humored by Hattori's cheerful attitude and it was that that got the Inspector off the ledge and striding towards us.

"I don't need any more idiots crowding around us. The Kid didn't do it and I'm not going to stand for this anymore! If you're all so set on your conclusions, then this is _our_ investigation and you should all get the hell out of our way!"

"Don't worry, I believe ya."

"You… you do?"

"Yep. So, did ya find any evidence up here?"

"No," Nakamori replied hesitantly, perhaps a little shocked that someone other than those in his division believed him. "The monocle was found up here, but nothing else."

Hattori frowned at him. "Then why are ya so dead set on sayin' that the Kid didn't do it?"

"I've been chasing that bastard all my life! He doesn't kill people!"

"Of course he doesn't." I laid my hand reassuringly on the old guy's back as he straightened up to look at me. "I'm sure we can prove it."

"And who are you?" Nakamori's eyes were just a little too clear and scrutinizing. I held back a nervous laugh and looked back with a dourer expression. "I'm Hattori-kun's assistant, but I don't think that that's any of your business."

He _hmpted_ at me and turned away.

"I don't really care who helps, but… I _can't_ find any solid evidence to prove he _didn't_ do it! If you two can, I'm sure I could make the others listen."

"Don't worry Inspector, we will."

"Such promises," Hattori whispered to me as we walked away. "There's no evidence, the killer's gotta be long gone by now, and the only one who knows ya didn't do it is us 'cause ya've been with me the whole time. So all in all we got nothin'." He smiled in delight. "_Bring it on."_


	24. Twisting in the Wind

For outstanding circumstances the next few chapters will not involve the organization as of yet  
I've had a few people ask so I'm just saying

That was it

READ ON!

* * *

_**Chapter 24: Twisting in the Wind**_

"Arg!" Hattori scratched his head in frustration. "There's nothin' here to find! Whoever it is that's framin' ya is doin' a really good job…too good of a job if ya ask me."

"Of course they are. If this organization has been active for this long, I doubt it would be hard for them to frame a man for murder" I replied casually as we continued to scour around the rooftop for clues.

"Ya realized that too, huh?" Hattori closed his eyes and leaned against the brick structure that led down the stairs. "I wish it wasn't 'em, otherwise findin' proof is gonna be next to impossible. I can't see anyone 'sides the guys in black that would want ta set ya up like this, especially considerin' the timin'. Besides the woman's statement though, there's no proof ya _did_ do it either. Sorry, I mean Kid. I _know_ you didn't do it, but there doesn't seem ta be anything here showin' that ya didn't."

"What statement?"

He closed his eyes. "I asked around before I came up here. Ms. security guard from the other building claims that she entered the scene just in time to see the last man fall to his death. When she looked up, she saw someone dressed all in white. If ya put that together with findin' the monocle, then the police have no option but ta think it was you. However, I also talked to the second division guys, and their statements go against that theory." Hattori started to tick the facts off on his fingers. "According to them, ya didn't leave a notice, there has never been any sign of violence in yer behavior before now, and the obvious resplendency that comes with yer actions as Kid is missin'."

"Obviously, because their goal is to go unnoticed from what Kudo-kun's said."

"Right, bad move on their part." He smiled, "I don't think anyone could impersonate ya successfully even if they tried."

"I've had peopel attept it. So, considering we can't clear Kid's name, what are we going to do now?"

"I don't know," the Osakan admitted. "'Cause they think it's you who killed 'em, I've no doubt that division one's gonna be involved in yer next few robberies. I'd point out what ya said to me earlier 'bout the monocles bein' different if it would sound like I suddenly developed ESP."

"We could try and lead them to the fact that it's different without directly mentioning it. I've seen Kudo-kun pull it off a few times, though I've never tried it myself since I never really had a need to."

"I've been thinkin' about that, but it would be too noticeable."

"So?" I shrugged and leaned against the wall next to him. "Besides that then, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know."

Hattori hadn't opened his eyes and it wasn't because he was thinking. The Osakan detective was tired. A few hours of sleep on the train obviously weren't enough. Already from the rooftops, I could see the sun rising.

"You know they're going to kill us when we get back."

"Ha, it wouldn't surprise me, but at least this way I can get back at Kudo for doin' the same thing to me so often."

"You should get some sleep. There's nothing we can do anyway. I'll put up with them for the time being."

"No," He forced his eyes open. "I'm a stubborn idiot after all. Kazuha's told me that often enough. I can't let things drop when I'm here and can face 'em. Even if I wanted ta sleep I wouldn't be able to."

"What illogical reasoning for a detective."

"Ya know it'll make it much easier for them to get you too. Having cops with the authority to shoot you makes a fine cover story. The police'll get blamed if they'll able ta pick you off."

"I'm well aware of that, and don't try to switch the topic. You should at least rest. It won't do either of us any good if you're dead tired. I'll wake you up in an hour or so, sooner if I find something."

Hattori stared at the officers still on the top floor. It was cold up here, but none of us were bothered by it, considering we all had our minds elsewhere. The bodies below hadn't been forgotten, but they were now in the hands of a mortician somewhere and out of sight. Having the second division policemen on my side for this, even with no proof that I was innocent, left me with mixed feelings towards the men who had always chased the Kid, determined to catch and arrest my alter ego.

"Fine, but ya better wake me up. If ya don't…" He held up a fist and smiled at me. "Well, ya'd better wake me up."

"As if brute force would work on me," I smiled back. "I will, so quit making a big deal out of it."

"Whatever." Hattori lowered himself to the floor, still leaning against the wall. He let his head rest on his shoulder while his body slouched in a limp position.

"You do know we're at a hotel. You could sleep inside."

"But then ya wouldn't get me up," He peeked on eye open to look at me. "Right? Out here ya hafta or I'll get sick as someone already brilliantly pointed out."

"Shut up, you idiot," I gave him a sour look and added on a smirk because I knew how I could irritate him, "You know, you're starting to sound just like Hakuba-kun."

"That's not funny."

"Sure it is, Hakuba-kun Jr." I nudged him with my foot teasingly as I pronounced the name.

"Do you want me to get some sleep, or are ya tryin' ta start a fight with me?" He raised a fist, serious about his question.

"Get some sleep." I walked away from Hattori, so that I wasn't tempted to do anything to him while he was unconscious, "I just thought I'd give your mind some nice dreaming material."

"Shut up," The Osakan snapped, though his voice was quiet.

_Detectives are so easy to mess with_.

We'd already seen all there was to find about the crime scene so there was nothing for me to look for while Hattori slept. The group in black was obviously trying to set me up, making it easier to get me out of their way later on. This meant that they would have made sure that nothing was left behind, nothing that could be traced back to them.

Left with the prospect of standing next to the cops, or bothering Hattori while he was exhausted, I headed towards the deserted side of the building. Not only would I be out of everyone's way, no one would bother me there.

However, as I arrived on the other side of the building, a sudden and unexpected movement shoved me against the wall, just out of sight of the rest of the group.

"I want some answers," came a gruff, angry yet familiar voice.

I made a little pained noise as someone, _once again,_ injured my right side. I hide the sound behind a sharp exhalation and a smile. _Poker face, Kaito. Poker face, no matter how painful it is. _"What's the problem?"

"I know it's you, you bastard. After all this time, there's no _way _I'd overlook anyone anymore. You gave yourself away to me the minute you walked up here." Nakamori was breathing down my face and his fingers were tight against my arms. I had lost track of the man once again and this time I was paying for it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." My accent was perfect and there was no way that I'd let anything slip up. My clothes, my voice, my attitude, and, just by a few years, my age were all different.

"Don't treat me like some idiot. Some guy I never met before comes up to me and puts a hand on my back and then acts coldly to me. It was obvious that you were trying to hide something from me and there would only be two people trying to do that, the Kid or the murderer. Whoever did this wasn't stupid enough to come back so I knew it had to be you. I know that mocking tone of voice anywhere. Kid, you gave yourself away. Now _give _me some answers!" The man was actually shaking with anger, showing that he was to the point where fatigue and distress were having a physical effect on him.

"I'm sorry Keibu. I can't tell you anything." I smiled, still hiding behind my Poker face, as I tried to diffuse the situation.

It had the opposite result, as I should have realized earlier. This was a Nakamori after all. His fingers dug into me painfully, and this time I had nowhere to escape to. Avoiding my eyes, he was taking shallow breathes to try to keep his cool. "Tell me… at least _tell me_ that you didn't do it!"

"I've been on a train before and during the execution of these men, Keibu." He looked up at me for this, making me feel very vulnerable for once. "Only ideas can kill a man from miles away without lifting a finger." Looking straight into his eyes, I calmly stated with conviction, "I didn't do it."

"Why the hell should I believe you?"

"Because you _want _to believe me. Though that doesn't make what I've said to you any less true. I've been in disguise, following Hattori-san all day." And it was true, for the most part. I'd still had the green contacts on while I was on the train. Thus, I had still been 'in disguise'. Also, I had been with Hattori so I wasn't technically lying.

"Are you going to arrest me for murder now, Keibu?" I laughed lightheartedly, though I was feeling anything but.

"I should. Damn it all, I should." He lowered his voice to keep our conversation from being overheard. "Damn it!" He shoved me away from him, but since I was already against the bricks, it hurt his hands more than anything.

"Nakamori-Keibu, I'm sorry you find my innocence so dreadful."

"Kami help me if that were the case." He sighed and turned away from me. "I knew you didn't do it. I just had to hear you say it."

I shoved my hands in my pockets and whispered over his shoulder. "You understand me so well Inspector. I wish I could share the sentiments. What was it that told you I didn't do it?"

"You just couldn't have. I didn't even have to think about it. But with all those first division officers trying to tell me otherwise, it made me start to doubt my own beliefs." Shaking his head, as if to clear his thoughts, Nakamori then looked around at the other officers on the roof before turning his gaze back at me. "You should get out of here," his eyes narrowed at me, "Before I change my mind and arrest you."

"Do that now, and I'll be charged for all the wrong crimes. You know that."

"You're a thief. Like hell if I care what happens to you!" he huffed, turning and stepping aside to put some distance between us.

"I'm sorry Keibu, but I can't leave just yet."

"Why not?" He turned to me with a frown. I saw his eyes take in my appearance now that they weren't clouded by anger and frustration. The hair I was adorning was a different length, color, and texture than my own. My eyes, voice, and facial physical appearance were also part of the illusion I had created. However, I still felt like he was seeing through me, seeing something in me that he shouldn't have.

I tilted my head back towards the other officers, now bathed in sunlight while we were encased in shadow. "You may believe me when I say I'm innocent, and your men may believe you in turn, but it seems to me that the other officers don't. Personally, I dislike the title of 'murderer,' it's a title with too much blood on it. I much prefer sticking to 'thief.'"

"So _you_ are going to prove you're innocent? They won't listen."

"I'm well aware of that, which is why Hattori-san is a necessity," I mentally frowned at that thought, but outside I grinned, "Unfortunately, they don't listen to him very well either."

"There's nothing to be done. You're as good as a murderer in their eyes, so take the label and leave. There's nothing to find here anyway."

"Nothing to find _here,_" I thought aloud to myself. There had to be some way to get the police directed towards that fact, that it _could_ possibly be someone besides me, even if it didn't clear my name completely.

"What do you mean 'here'?"

"Huh?" I looked up at him. "Well, there is proof, but it's not definite and I'm not too sure who has it."

"What is it?" Nakamori's tone significantly lightened, a hint of hope in his voice, as he looked back at me encouragingly.

"You were there when I stole, ah, I mean attempted to steal the Russian Easter Egg, right? I thought that the evidence would have been turned over to you." I raised my eyebrows.

"What evidence? The only thing I did, after you were supposedly shot, was join the team out in the harbor."

"That wasn't a fun night for either of us then. I would have confirmed my safety with you, if I wasn't stuck trying to evade everyone without drowning. I was also half blind for a few days so I had to be careful," I added with a smile. "But that's not what I'm talking about. I lost my monocle that day and I thought your department would have it."

"No, we had believed it fell in the water. The officers in Osaka never mentioned it to me." There was a serious tone in his words, his eyes were glinting rather dangerously. I was tempted to take a step back if I could, but the brick wall behind me and my inner resolve to maintain my Poker Face prevented me from doing so.

"I wouldn't take it personally Keibu. There were a lot of things going on at the time," I tried to calm him down, though I seemed to be failing if his growing ire seemed to be any indication. "Of course, Hattori-san and I cannot point this information out to them because, according to the records, neither of us should be aware it existed."

"But I can."

"No Keibu," I smiled at him. "If you didn't know that there was evidence left behind before, people will wonder how you have obtained that information now."

"That doesn't matter. I could say I overheard some of the other officers talking about it, or that I have been wondering about the evidence myself. Evidence that _I should already known about and had_," he growled under his breath. "I just need to find someone in the Osakan police force that will cooperate with our investigation."

"I got ya covered on that."

"Hattori-san," I turned to the Osakan detective who couldn't have gotten more than ten minutes of sleep. "I thought you were going to be out for a while."

"I'm a light sleeper." He put his pinky in his ear as if he was cleaning it. "And I'd love to see the guy that can sleep through yer yellin,'" he said with a grin at Nakamori.

"Yes, the Inspector has quite the healthy temper." I rubbed my arm to try and counteract the pain that was still running through it. The man had held me tight enough to bruise and with my arm already injured, I wondered how much longer it would take the arm to fully heal.

"I'm gonna call my old man then," Hattori sighed, "This ain't gonna be easy either. I told him I was on a case, but I've missed school fer _three_ days now. I ain't lookin' forward to his reaction."

_Yes, school. We were all going to have to pay repercussions for that. I wasn't optimistic in the outlook of the next few _weeks _afterwards either. Not that it would be all that hard to catch up in terms of schoolwork, but Aoko was going to have my head._

I mentally shivered, visions of mops and an angry Aoko dancing in my head.

I gave no outward sign of my thoughts, and I said nothing back. The last thing I wanted was for Nakamori to be in the situation like the other detectives were. Without answers from me, I doubted the old man could stand to be in the same room. We were on a roof now so technically I had the advantage. Luckily, he didn't push it, but if we weren't in such an open area… things wouldn't look very promising for me.

As Hattori got on the phone with his father, it occurred to me that it must be somewhere around five in the morning. I listened closely, which wasn't hard considering that his phone was loud and we were on the quiet side of the building. It only rang twice before the Osakan's call was answered.

_To be up at five in the morning when you're not expecting a call. I couldn't do it. I would just turn the darn phone off._

"Hey Otousan," I could see he was nervous as he tried to keep his voice strong. "Yes, I know…'_Hattori – today you – home'" _I couldn't catch whatever it was his dad was telling him, but a few words were comprehendible. "I can't…'_-mother-'…_I know but I need yer help with something…'_Son – handle – officer'_…I know dad, but I need ya for this one. I'm in Beika right now an' I need ya to do me a favor…'_own – help – now'…_Dad, it's important to me." There was silence for a while as I respectfully moved away so that Hattori didn't feel like I was intruding on his conversation, _which I was._

"Thanks," he said after it seemed like his dad was going to hear him out. "It's fine. It's gonna sound weird, but ya remember that case with Kid and the Scorpion a few months back? Well, I need the monocle that was left at the crime scene. One of yer guys musta picked it up 'cause the other officers don't have it… Yeah, it is… No… No… Dad, I said no!... Fine... yeah, sorry… thanks… You don't have to do that, I just need-… yeah… I'll see ya in a few hours then."

Hattori hung up the phone and turned to me and Nakamori. "I guess my old man's gonna bring it here," he informed us before glaring at his cellphone. "_Why's he gotta get involved in my cases? All I wanted was the evidence!"_Hattori muttered angrily to himself, though it was loud enough for both of us to hear.

This time he directed his words at me. "My old man will take awhile ta get here so I'll be sleepin' inside. My dad'll also call before he arrives so ya better get me up before then." He looked over at Nakamori. "Ya want me to find you too, right?"

"Yes."

"Do ya care?" Hattori asked me. I already had Nakamori on my side and if he could help matters along, I saw no problem with him being involved. For now.

"Not in the least my dark skinned friend. I think I'll stick around to see your results though." I couldn't say that I was staying because I was waiting for Hattori. Nakamori would find it interesting if I said I wasn't leaving because of that. It was too bad that Hattori probably needed to be there when his father came, or else I would have left with him after everything was set in motion.

My new distance to him did not go unnoticed. The Osakan narrowed his eyes at me, but went inside without another word. I was sure I would hear plenty from him later though. That left me standing alone with Nakamori in uncomfortable silence. There really wasn't anywhere for either of us to go, or do.

"Kid, what happened the other day?"

_Huh? _"You'll need to elaborate Inspector. I'm afraid a lot has been happening recently, so I find it hard to pinpoint which occurrence you're asking me about."

"I had you." I saw his hands clench. "I had you, but… something was wrong." He looked up and met my eyes. "Since when do you work with others?"

_Ah, Hakuba's presence at the last heist was bothering him. _"I was with someone I couldn't shake off. They should not interfere with my work again so, rest assured, I'm not ganging up on you or anything."

"I don't need to be running after two of you."

"Heaven forbid that. The world only needs one of me. I wouldn't be unique if there was someone out there just like me."

"With my luck, I probably wouldn't be able to catch either one of you," there was harshness to his tone that wasn't attributed to anger, "I've already had others in division two breathing down my neck for letting you escape so often, but no one's done any better, or have gotten as close to catching you." He narrowed his eyes at me, "So don't get caught by anyone before I get to you."

"Don't worry Nakamori-keibu, I won't do anything to your credibility. That doesn't mean I'll let you catch me though," I smirked. "No one will have that privilege."

"You can't run forever."

"I don't plan on it." I looked around the corner into the morning sun, which blinded me for a second before my eyes adjusted. One of three things was sure to happen: Snake or his group would take me out, Nakamori would catch me from some mistake on my part or good fortune on his, or I'd find Pandora and be able to end it all. No matter what though, things couldn't go on the way they were forever.

That or, with my dumb luck, I'd get knocked off by these new bastards.

"Well Nakamori-keibu, I'd like to spend the next half-hour somewhere safely out of your reach so I'll be taking my leave now."

"Just be glad I consider you the lesser of two evils."

A sentiment I was sure the other detectives shared, and the only reason none of them had gone after me either.

"I like to think of myself in a similar fashion, except as the lesser of two goods."

"Hmpht," Nakamori sat down on the small raised edge of the building. Instead of walking towards him, I took a step back, allowing myself to be bathed in sunlight to stop him from identifying me any more than he had. I was surprised he hadn't contradicted me. The older man lit a cigarette and the shadows surrounding him made it stand out – a clear, burning, red puff of light.

"Nakamori-keibu, I don't think it's safe for you to be sitting that close to the edge. With how top heavy you are, you may fall over."

He blew smoke in my direction with a sardonic smile. "I'm as likely to fall off as I am to put you behind bars by the end of today."

"I don't know whether you mean you're safe or not, what with your confidence and all."

"You standing here in front of me is like waving a million yen at me, so get out of here," he shooed me away and flicked his cigarette over the edge, raining bits of ash down the building.

"Fine then, I'll leave while whatever restraint you have is still intact." Nakamori really was showing off his softer side. He'd had me in his hands, yet he'd let me go for no other reason than the impossibility of me proving my own innocence while in handcuffs.

However, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I went to the adjacent edge of the building and sat down as well, a good distance away from Nakamori. Being over the edge didn't bother me, not with my love of heights. Unlike the Inspector though, I had a few things I could save myself with if I accidentally fell off. I drummed my fingers absently on the brick beneath me as I thought.

Some of the mortar crumbled when my weight was on it. More started to fall at my small movements. _That's strange._

I got off and knelt beside the bricks, tapping them roughly with my knuckles as more particles fell and the bricks shifted.

"Ah, Nakamori-keibu," I breathed deeply and tried to keep my voice even, "I need you to get off the ledge."

"What's the matter?" he tapped his cigarette against the edge again, shifting his weight to keep the ashes off himself.

"Please. If you won't get off, at least stop moving."

"I'm not moving." The man didn't understand the danger he was in because at that moment, he crossed his legs to be in a more comfortable position. Unfortunately, that was when the already chipped away cement decided to give.

He fell.

I'd already started planning. I swept a hook I always carried at my side over the top of the outcropping, where the stairs descended. It caught easily and I jumped after Nakamori. We were on the dark side of the building, which was unoccupied except for us so we were seen. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to use the glider with any success. The Inspector simply weighed too much and, combined with my own weight, if I turned it upward at that velocity, the framework would snap.

The Inspector was too shocked to let out more than a small scream when he fell. It took me one-third of the length of the building to catch up to him and grab his sleeve.

I shoved the rope in his direction to show that I wanted him to grab it. Nakamori was still surprised, but he nodded to me and held on tightly, right below my own hands.

I tugged the rope hard, so that the whiplash wouldn't kill us when we ran out of slack. Both of our bodies brushed roughly into the building. I got my feet against it, in an attempt to try to slow us down. I winced as my ankle screamed in pain, hitting several window ledges, but enough speed was lost that when the rope went taunt, we weren't thrown off. Nakamori's hands closed around mine, securing our hold on the rope when I'd almost released it because of my shoulder.

"Well, I'll never doubt you again," he panted when we safely stopped. I was panting as well, but somehow I managed to smile back at him.

"You should always doubt, Inspector. Not everything in front of you is as clear as it may seem, especially when you're dealing with a Phantom Thief."

The whole outer edge of the roof had been chipped away. There was no way that the investigating officers would have noticed that. Obviously, the murderer had planned for more people to die afterwards. I could understand that the organization wanted to set me up, but why go to the trouble of breaking up that much stone to randomly kill whoever sat on it?

The breeze, and our leftover momentum, was swinging us back and forth like a pendulum. The other officers would not see us, since the Inspector hadn't screamed loud enough for them to hear, and I didn't want to be stuck at the end of the rope when we were found.

Suddenly, a flash of heat went pass my face and embedded itself into the wall. My eyes darted to the bullet hole and Nakamori's followed it, immediately turning around to scan the area before I could.

"What the hell?"

I searched the area after as well, trying to calculate the angle of the shot to determine where the bullet could have come from. There was a taller building nearby, a few hundred feet away; I could scarcely make out a form on top of it.

_Of course!_ That's why they'd taken the time to chip away at all those bricks, to draw me out! Under any circumstance, I would never allow anyone to soil Kid's name. Thus, they were sure that I'd be at the scene. By putting people in danger, I would have to show myself to save them, leaving me also exposed to _them_.

"Nakamori-keibu," I breathed as I started to swing the rope back and forth by kicking off the side of the building and lowering myself down. "I need you to follow me back inside the building, quickly."

He nodded and lowered himself down as well. After a few more swings, I managed to get to the nearest window. Quickly cutting a rough hole into it with my glass cutter, I tried to get to the lock when a few bullets penetrated the glass. Fortunately, the glass did not shatter, and we remained untouched. I opened the window and landed gracefully inside before turning to help the Inspector in. Another bullet was shot, which I was able to barely dodge away from; it had just missed my chest. Pushing the Inspector away from the window, I then quickly stepped out of view so that the sniper wouldn't have either of us in his or her sights anymore.

"Nakamori-keibu, I hope this doesn't mean that you've changed your mind and decided to see me put in jail after all."

"What are you talking about?" His eyes were wide, though he'd figured out enough in the minute or so dangling outside of the building to have a good idea of the situation.

"Your earlier statement, when you claimed that you were as likely to fall off that ledge as I was to be arrested today. I think you've got your facts wrong."

"Why were we shot at? And who the hell is shooting at us?"

"No one, Inspector. I'm sure that you could find better things to occupy your time with than finding out the reason behind it. This is my problem."

"Like hell it is!" He grabbed his radio from his pocket. I immediately put my hand up over it before he could relay any information to his officers. His stunned expression met my grave one. This time I had no monocle to hide behind so my expression was clear, I was completely serious.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't look into this. Call it a favor from an old friend."

"I'm no friend of yours!" Nakamori yelled at me, pushing my hand away. When he pressed the button to talk, there was no noise.

"Forgive me Inspector, but I took the liberty of taking these from you," I waved the batteries in front of him and placed them in my pocket. "By the time you get a decent amount of officers together, the sniper should be long gone."

"Why are you protecting the person who was shooting at us? A would-be murderer?"

"I'm not Nakamori-keibu, I'm protecting you and your men. It would be a shame if any of you got hurt."

"You call that a damn answer? I'm an Inspector! I don't feel like taking orders from a damn petty thief! Stay out of my way on this and go play around in someone else's damn business for once… what the hell is the matter with you?"

_Hm?_"What are you talking about Nakamori-keibu? I've done nothing, but relieve your device of its power."

"Not that, you dumb ass!" he pushed me backwards, not hard but enough to make me lose my balance. I had to step back to catch myself, causing me to wince as pain spiked through my ankle and my breath to be caught in my throat. I'd already realized I'd hurt myself on the way down, but I didn't think I'd broken any bones. Since my right side was my dominate side, it was once again that side that had gotten injured. However, a few fractured bones seemed like a small price to pay for both of our lives. Hopefully though, they were just severely bruised, or even hairline fractures, and not actual fractures.

"Your concern is touching Inspector, but unnecessary."

"I'm not worried about your damn heath. Go catch pneumonia and die for all I care. Just don't let anyone catch you!" He paused for a minute and looked out the window. "Or kill you."

_Was that worry in the Inspector's voice?_

"You can't kill what you can't catch and as I've already assured you, no one is going to catch me."

I left him standing on the safe side of the window as I walked away, only wincing a little with each step I took. It would hurt for a while, but nothing too dramatic. Hopefully, I wouldn't need to perform anything too drastic again for a while.

Hattori's father came soon after and there was no mention of gunfire, though the Inspector made sure that the other officers knew about the loose bricks.

The Osakan and his father quickly convinced Inspector Megure and most of the division one officers that the culprit might be someone other than Kid. Although I wasn't sure if they successfully managed to shake the idea of Kid being the murderer from their minds, since I kept a backseat role throughout their entire explanation. I wasn't going to get close to Inspector Nakamori again.

The few times I had seen Hattori Heizo, it was from a distance. Most of what I knew of him was through word of mouth. Despite his narrowed eyed look, the man supposedly had sharp eyes and an even sharper mind. In person, I found all the above to be true. The man was frightening, far more so than his son. I made sure to give him his space, though I did receive a few hard glares from the observant man.

"Well, good thing that's taken care of, maybe ya'll be safe from the good guys now." Hattori came up to me where I was resting, out of everyone's sight but the officers in front of me.

"Yes, well." I slid further into the shadows from where I was sitting . "I think I'll need a second if we're leaving."

After making sure I was mostly hidden from view, I quickly took off everything and placed on black hair dye and dark makeup to look like a member of Hattori's family.

"Ya gonna tell me why ya suddenly have to do that where the cops might see ya?" Hattori stepped in front of me to help hide me from view.

"Better the cops than anyone else who may be watching."

The Osakan's eyes darted around before looking at me for a direction.

"I lost track of them so it's better for 'me' not to be seen for a while.

"What happened?"

"Nothing much. They made sure they caught a good look at me though." I sighed as I took off my sweater for a light weight jacket, making me less easy to spot.

"Let's get goin' then before my old man notices that I've suddenly got a less attractive look-a-like."

"Aw, I'm insulted," I smirked at him, "I didn't know that you'd be comparing me to a gopher.

"Now what am I supposed to say back ta that?"

"Nothing because I won." I pushed him a little and true to his nature, Hattori pushed me back harder. When I limped as I scooted aside, I remembered what I'd wanted to tell him.

"It's nothing bad, but I hurt myself on the building after you left to rest." _Not a lie exactly, I just wasn't saying that I was dangling hundreds of feet in the air at the time._

Hattori narrowed his eyes at me for a moment, probably gauging my words with my previous action. As if accepting my explanation, for now, he relaxed and grinned. "'Kay. Fortunately, I've remained intact. Let's see who those two are gonna be madder at when we get back now." He laughed at me.

"Tsh, laugh it off while you can." I took some of the pain killers I bought at the store, dry swallowing them. Hopefully, they won't burn a hole through my stomach.

I followed Hattori as he led me to a squad car with a rather large officer in the driver's seat.

"Oh, by the way," Hattori's smile was the most smug I've seen yet. "This is our ride back an' I'm sittin' up front." He opened my door for me and waved a hand in front of it, trying to usher me in. I could see the bars separating the sections of the car and realized why the Osakan was so smug. "That mean ya gotta sit in the back."

Hattori got in and rolled the window down to watch me, knowing I would be uncomfortable riding in the back like a criminal even though technically I was one.

"Are ya gettin' in or not? Ya can always walk back, but it'll take ya forever and it's pretty cold out ta be wearin' just that."

"Fine." I got in and hesitated before closing the door, not liking the idea of locking myself in a police car. Hattori smiled at me over his shoulder and the other officer grinned at me too, though his was more of a friendly grin than an arrogant one like Hattori's.

"First time in a cop car huh? Dontcha worry about it. Hei-chan and I'll let ya out when we get there."

"Don't tell 'im that Otaki. He's fine. Natsuki-kun's not scared of anything… right?" He smirked at me. I slammed the door closed in retaliation.

"Of course not."

…

The car ride wasn't that bad. I knew I could get out if I needed to, but I vowed never to repeat the experience unless it was absolutely necessary. Hattori's smug expression throughout the entire ride was not something I wanted to endure ever again.

Besides that, there was something about being in the back of the police car that made me very uneasy. It was probably the thief in me, but I didn't like feeling that the detective had won whatever battle it was that he'd started by getting me in the car in the first place. It was almost as if he had finally managed to capture me, the Kid. I did not enjoy that feeling.

We made it back to the Agency soon enough and Hattori tried to milk it when we got there.

"Hey," he waved outside the window, "How ya doin'?"

"Heiji, don't mess with him," the large man scolded when he got out of his car to watch the Osakan teen from over the hood.

Hattori's window was still down so I could hear their conversation. I waved at the Osakan and took the handle, opening the door and smiling at Hattori before getting out. I palmed the small device I'd put on the lock mechanism back in my hand so that he couldn't see it.

"I'm just fine."

"How did ya…?" He shook his head. "I take it back. I don't wanna know."

Otaki was on the other side of the car so he didn't see that I had been the one who opened it. He got back into the car when we'd made it to the stairs and drove off after he made sure we got through the door.

"Um?" Hattori mumbled when he stepped in. "Hello?"

I sat on the couch before laying down, making myself comfortable.

"Hello?" The Osakan shouted louder.

"They're not here," I murmured as I closed my eyes.

"What do ya mean they're not here? Kudo told me ta meet 'em here after they got off the plane 'cause we were gonna decide what to do with the kids. Where would they go?"

"It's Kudo-kun, where else would they go?" I looked at the clock. "Hopefully, whatever he's mixed up in will be over soon. Until then I'm going to sleep."

"Poor bastard," Hattori said as he lay down on the couch across from me. "That Brit is gonna get his ass handed to him by Kudo this time."

"Probably, who knows?" I laughed. "But I feel sorry for whoever it was who is either dead or in enough trouble to warrant their interference."

"Really? It can't be that bad." He looked over at me before putting his hands behind his head as a makeshift pillow, "They took the kids with them."


	25. Lost in Transit

Sorry this took so long to put up.

And for those who _need_ to know, the orginization comes in, in chapter 29  
(so almost, I just have to wait for everything to be corrected)

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING EVERYONE!  
(and sorry about lack of action once again)

* * *

_**Chapter 25: Lost in Transit**_

_Stupid detectives._ I didn't know what Kudo was thinking, letting the children go with them to whatever mess he stumbled into this time. Unless they had gone out to eat, _both_ detectives were going to be hearing about it from me. Granted, I'd hold myself back to hear them out since it was unlikely that anything less than 'utterly important' would have made them take the children out of the house.

No signs of distress negated the possibility of them having _had _to leave for some reason that involved their safety. Still their absence made me uneasy.

Hattori was too tired. Since he hadn't gotten more than a few hours rest, he quickly passed out on the couch. I would have liked to have gotten some sleep too, but instead I just let myself not-think for a while. As tired and sleepy as I felt, I sincerely doubted that I would be able to fall asleep; I would probably just lay there awake anyway. After a few moments of nothing, I went to the bathroom and took all the makeup off. I decided to forgo a shower, despite how badly I probably needed one, in case anyone came in while I was still in there.

_Heaven forbid I did take a shower and run into Ran afterwards. Water would do its job to flatten my hair just as well as gel._

I took my phone and tried to call Kudo. It rang for a while, but he didn't pick up. I tried Hakuba's number too, but his went straight to voicemail.

"Why won't anyone pick up their phone?"

Wait a minute. Why hadn't they tried to call me? Or Hattori? Hakuba had my number and Kudo was sure to have the Osakan's, so why hadn't _they_ tried to call _us_ when we didn't meet up with them at the scheduled time? They must have left right after arriving then.

"You could still pick up the damn phone," I muttered in frustration at my own black cellular. I'd gotten it from home earlier when I'd picked up Kane, though it had been turned off since then.

"No use thinking about it." My eyes closed and I finally let myself drift off into sleep, though I never fully made it there. I was aware of the cold breeze blowing through one of the windows that were left partially open, of Hattori's breathing that was deeper than my own, and of how strangely content I felt in the house, on the couch, of the temporary resident detective that was just as full of mysteries as I was.

…

Some loud noises from the stairs brought me to my senses. I heard someone who sounded a lot like Hakuba cursed as he bumped into something.

"Hey," I nudged Hattori. The Osakan stirred a bit and looked up at me with bleary eyes. "They're back."

"Who?"

I looked at him with raised eyebrows and Hattori took in the room. "Oh." He rubbed his eyes. "Where're they?"

"Coming," I pointed towards the closed agency door as whoever was in the lead reached the top.

"This is why children shouldn't come with us!" Kogoro shouted behind him as he opened the door, making Hakuba wince as the man yelled right in his ear. Kudo was safe, being closer to the ground though he did give a slight cringe at the shout.

"Who the hell?" He turned to face me and Hattori. I waved at him, making the slightly intoxicated detective madder. "Why is my house suddenly filled with children? Ran's enough for me. Get out!"

"Dad," Ran was suddenly at his side, trying to make her father more placid. "I'm sure they only came because Hattori-kun and Hakuba-kun are working on the same case, remember?"

"Of course I– what?"

"They're on a case, though I don't really know what it is. I think we distracted Hakuba-kun from his own business, so you shouldn't get so angry."

"Who would trust children with a case? They should have come to me!" Everyone was in the room at that point as Kogoro put his slightly red face in front of Hakuba's. "Just what is it? I'll have it solved in seconds compared to your slow going. You'll thank me."

Knowing how much the detective hated his personal space being messed with, I fully expected Hakuba to back away like he always did with me. However, despite my expectations, Hakuba remained still, even though Kogoro was just inches away from him.

"In the words of my friend Kuroba-kun, who's standing right over there, 'I wouldn't trust you with my left sock.'"

Hattori couldn't hold in a laugh, but Kogoro didn't seem to take the insult badly, surprisingly. He just shoved his hands in his pocket and looked disapprovingly at Hakuba. "Fine, suit yourself. Go ruin someone else's day then." Kogoro snuck off to the kitchen, where I could hear him open a can of beer before taking up several others in his arms, judging by the clattering sounds of aluminum.

"Sorry about my dad," Ran apologized to Hakuba as soon as her father had left the room. "Please don't take him too seriously. I'm kind of embarrassed at what he did to you."

"It's quite alright, Ran-san. You didn't do anything to apologize for."

"Ran-neechan," Kudo spoke up, in his 'Conan' voice. "I'm thirsty, but Oji-san is in there." He put on a bright-eyed pleading expression, mixed with a bit of shyness and uncertainty. "Can you go get it for me?"

"Sure Conan-kun," she smiled in understanding, "What do you want?"

"Juice."

"Does anyone else want something to drink? I don't think anyone but me going in there right now is a good idea."

"Um," I waved to at her from the side. "Can I have some chocolate milk?"

"Sure, we've got some."

The others shook their heads as Ran ventured into the kitchen.

"Sorry Hakuba-kun. Oji-san can be rather dimwitted at times. You should just let it go." Kudo and Hakuba shared a knowing look, before the latter nodded.

"I'm aware of that. The only good thing that came out of today was that that so-called great detective didn't blow my cover. I had enough trouble trying not to talk while she was here. I couldn't have remained silent if he'd gone against his word."

"Hey, good goin' there. I've never seen anyone else stand up to-"

"Hold on Hattori-kun," I told him. "All this is very interesting and," I turned to look up at Hakuba, "I didn't know we shared the same thoughts about Mouri-san, but there are a few questions that I need answered. Preferably right _now_."

"I can answer those questions, Kuroba-kun, which I am guessing there are two. One, the children are with a friend of Conan-kun's. We both felt it safe to trust her, and that she doesn't know anything. The second thing you wanted to know was where we'd gone to, correct?"

"If that weren't obvious, yes."

We sat down on the couch, in the order we had arrived with Hattori and I sitting on one side and the other detectives opposite us. Ran soon brought me and Kudo our drinks. Since I hadn't gotten a good meal in a while and had been thirst for even longer, I finished my glass in seconds. There was a content feeling in my stomach afterwards. Milk always did do a great job of filling me up.

"If you guys need something, I'll be upstairs finishing my homework." I heard Ran say as she said goodbye to us and made her way up the stairs.

"Heh, chocolate milk," Hattori whispered next to me with a grin. "I thought Kid was just a nickname."

"Shut up," I whispered back half-heartedly, watching and waiting for the other two detectives to be ready to talk.

Hakuba and Kudo both sighed and shared an identical look that ranged between annoyed and angry. When Hakuba breathed in, I noticed his breathing was shallower than it normally was. And what I thought was tension from being in Kogoro's presence, was still present after the man was gone.

I scrutinized him closely after that. The black hair dye that I'd put in his hair was gone, replaced by an identical raven black of a more permanent nature. The contacts were still in so his eyes were still brown and his clothes had random stains that hadn't been there before. One particularly small stain looked like blood, but the rest looked like motor oil. Now that I was paying closer attention, both detectives smelled like the inside of a car engine. His clothes were physically ripped in places, as was Kudo's. The most telling sign that something was wrong was the stiff way Hakuba held his arm at his side, always keeping it slightly bent.

"What happened to you two?"

The detective turned his head to the side. As he moved, his hair blew away from his face to expose a large bruise across the left side of his forehead, and a small cut showing where he'd hit it hard enough to break open the skin. The wound was quickly hidden again by his bangs, but I had seen it.

"After we got here, we were going to wait for you, like we originally planned," Kudo calmly stated. "Oji-san was already with a client at the time. Considering who and what it was about, we just had to look into it…" He gave a small smirk, the closest to a smile he gave since the detectives had walked in. "Guess who it was?"

"Ku- Conan-kun, yer not the only one's had a long day. I'm not in the mood fer guessin' games." Hattori's comment held more bite to it than usual. Not surprising considering what _we'd _been through; neither of us were in the mood for playing around.

"A Mrs. Narumi Ciara, mother of Narumi Kei." He laughed, somewhat bitterly, "She didn't go to the police at least."

"She was here? What happened?" I asked before Hattori had a chance to.

"Needless to say we kept the fact that the children were upstairs quiet," Hakuba intoned. "It was Conan-kun who came up with the idea, and a rather brilliant one at that, to hide them. He brought some of his clothes over and we went from having two girls to two boys. Where you got clothes that fit Hisa-chan though, I'm not sure," he said, turning to face the small boy.

"Anyway," Kudo gave a small cough as he quickly changed the subject. "Instead of having Kei and Hisa-chan, we now had Kai and Akira-kun, relatives visiting from Nagasaki. Oji-san went along with the idea, after Hakuba-kun said that he was on a case. At first, the old man didn't care, which was fine. However, the problems started when she described her missing daughter. Her descriptions fit Kei-chan too well, even with the hair dye, to be overlooked so easily."

"Hakuba. if you think I missed that, you're losing your touch. We'll get back to you in a second though," I told the detective as he forced his right hand to relax after he'd just grabbed his side in pain.

"I doubt you'd miss a speck of dust landing on the nose of a cow a hundred meters away."

"Damn straight. So what happened? I doubt both of you got roughed up because of her."

"No," Kudo continued. "Oji-san had a talk with Hakuba-kun out in the hall while Ciara-san was here." Turning to face Hakuba, he asked, "He didn't hit you or anything, did he?"

"No," Hakuba clarified. "He called me a dirty liar and pushed me back, but besides that, he didn't do anything else."

Kudo nodded as he already came to that conclusion, but wanted to verify it. "When he came back in, the old man didn't say anything about the girl to Ciara-san. Instead, he kept throwing accusations at Hakuba-kun around her. She didn't catch on, but Hakuba-kun had to stay quiet so that she wouldn't recognize his voice."

"Mouri-san took full advantage of the opportunity my muteness provided."

I never thought I'd see a murderous look from the detective before now, but he pulled a way-beyond-pissed-off look better than I thought he could.

"He fails to miss the point ninety-percent of the time, so don't take it personally that he thought you were the one in the wrong."

"I don't like being the bad guy."

"You didn't seem to have a problem with that last time. In fact, I recall you actually volunteering for the role," I smiled, trying to make the detective feel better.

He smiled a little back at me. "I didn't feel like the bad guy then. That just scared the hell out of me."

"So what happened?" Hattori asked, reverting us back to our original topic.

"Ciara-san left almost immediately after she'd told her story to Oji-san. It was a good thing Sato-keiji called when she did. Otherwise, something may have happened between Hakuba-kun and Oji-san after Kei-chan's mother was gone."

"Anyway, apparently one of the officers wanted Mouri-san's help on a case, and she asked Conan-kun to come with him. Why anyone would want that man's help is beyond me, though I did get the impression that she wanted Conan-kun there more than him."

Kudo took over from Hakuba again, the two taking turns telling the story so that both of their perspectives could be shown. "The crime scene wasn't that far away, but if either of us were to stay behind to watch the kids, we wouldn't be able to watch Oji-san's actions. Ran somehow convinced him to take all of us with him while I got Hakuba-kun to talk to Sato-keiji about watching the kids. She sent them to her house and had one of her relatives go over there to watch them, so they're safe for now."

"Conan-kun and I identified the murderer of the case and resolved it, despite the fact that Mouri-san was the one who had been requested. During the entire case, that man himself acted like the fool that he is." Hakuba was clearly angry at Kogoro. His seething words were filled with emotion, surpassing the anger he verbally showed me when we'd first fought at the bus station. He wasn't even trying to mask it now like he did back then.

"The criminal tried to get away, which was when Sato-keiji jumped into her car. I followed in after her. And since there was no way Hakuba-kun was going to stay with Oji-san, and since he had been staying close to me, he hopped in as well." Kudo turned to him for verification again, to which Hakuba nodded.

"Kuroba-kun, I vow never to insult your driving again after what that woman put us through." There was real fear in his eyes.

"I'd like to meet her."

"Kami forbid that," Hakuba's tone wasn't even lighthearted. "All motorists and pedestrians alike would run in fear, including whomever you two managed to bring with you into the vehicles."

"That's where the fun lies though. Sato-san, huh?" I smiled, but the name didn't ring any bells. I wasn't that familiar with the division one officers, though I had a few fresh memories of them that dealt with a stolen painting. "Does she have short hair cut close to her head? Late twenties, with a very nice pair of legs?"

"Yes…why?" replied Hakuba with a little hesitation.

"Just making sure." I took the picture I had of her in my head and mentally added her name and the words 'good driver' to it, as if I were writing down a note.

"So what happened to yer clothes? Ya got so scared that ya destroyed them?"

"No," Hakuba sighed and a small tremor went through his body. "The suspect was desperate. When we rounded a corner, he forced our vehicle off the road and the squad car flipped."

Hattori and I remained silent while we looked at Kudo and Hakuba.

"Yer ok though, right?"

"I'm fine. Granted, neither of us was wearing a seatbelt. Luckily though, when we hit the median, Hakuba-kun grabbed me before I could get thrown around. I'm sure you're hurt far more than I am," Kudo turned once again to Hakuba, with our eyes following his, and we all watched the detective for any reactions.

"It's nothing serious," he tried to hold his hands up, but winced and drew back his left one. "I banged my elbow against the door. Since the area is sensitive, it hurts to move it, but nothing is broken or fractured."

"Based on your movements, you also to have a large bruise on your back, probably just below your shoulder blades. There's that dark smear across your forehead too that doesn't look like you got it from picking flowers. Not to mention the fact that you just grabbed your side while we were talking."

"Kuroba-kun," he sighed. "I got the mark on my forehead _before_ the car flipped. I was ill prepared for her driving, and this was the result. Also, how exactly could you tell I hurt my back?"

"Your movements are too stiff. I thought it was your arm just bothering you at first, but when you sat down, you took care not to touch your back against the seat too quickly."

I was great at reading body language, just not so great at finding clues and being able to put them together to catch a murderer. I guess that was what made me a great thief, and not a great detective; one had to be able to read the movements of those around you in order to blend in, or trick them. Granted, it was strange that I wasn't better at finding and piecing clues together since riddles _were _my specialty.

"You shouldn't be so good at seeing things."

"It's nothing," I said truthfully. "Conan-kun noticed too but when, I have no idea, since I haven't been watching him."

I looked over at the Osakan who had a small smile on his face "But I'm sure Hattori-kun noticed all of that as well."

"Is everyone here better than I am?" Hakuba muttered somewhat sadly, which was out of place for the usually confident, almost to the point of arrogant, detective. "Conan-kun even determined who the murderer was before I did."

I was tempted to say something, but I was a thief, not a detective. Therefore, my words wouldn't mean as much to him. However, the words of other detectives would.

"That's not it, Hakuba-kun," Kudo reassured him. "We all look for something different when we first observe a scene. I notice facts, Kuroba-kun notices details, and Hattori favors action and reactions. But you, Hakuba-kun, you notice emotions first. The rest comes to you later."

"It's not a bad thing," Hattori added, with a small grin. "It just makes ya more like him than us."

"Him?"

Hattori jabbed his finger in my direction. "Its kinda what makes ya such a poor detective," he told me, "Ya can't see the culprit over a dead body."

"Seeing emotions is good, but you have to follow through with them. Take last time. Just because the man was nervous didn't mean he was so because he was the killer. Crook yes, killer no. You have to take everything else around you into consideration as well before making assumptions that you can't take back." Kudo looked at him with remorse, as he noticed how harsh his words sounded.

"Last time?"

Hattori waved me off as he understood what Kudo was talking about. Unlike me, who was pretty much in the dark about the situation. I hadn't known that the detectives had all met before now. Although, it didn't matter if I knew about it or not, there seemed to be an understanding between the three of them regarding their personalities and methods.

"When you're not dealing with other criminals, you can find the true culprit easy enough. I was actually a little surprised. You were just one step behind me the entire investigation, even though there were false trails."

"Those were easy to see. Having dealt with Kuroba-kun, I can tell when someone is lying to me…if I look for it that is." The detective casually blew off the compliment, not realizing that it was a _good_ thing to be one step behind Kudo. Everyone, with a few exceptions like Hattori and yours truly, usually weren't in the same ballpark as tantei-kun. Even then it was hard to keep up with the little guy.

"Hakuba-kun," I asked him, with a hint of worry leaking into my words. "You admitted to your other injuries, but what about your side?"

"I think I bruised my ribs." He tentatively put a hand up to feel the indentation of the bones under his skin and winced, keeping his breathing shallow. "In the worse case scenario, I fractured one or two of them. There's nothing I can do, so I'm not going to worry about it." I could see now how tensed up he was, and how desperately he was trying not to move more then he had to.

Hattori met Kudo's eyes and tipped his head in my direction. "He hurt his foot too. I think we got enough injuries ta go around now. Yer the only one who's not hurt."

"Because I at least try not to put myself in harm's way when dealing with these people. That and I have more experience at not being seen."

"I'm sure yer whole class at the school festival will attest ta that," Hattori grinned.

Kudo narrowed his eyes in response.

"Well, what I was sayin' was I think we should all get some rest. I ain't tired anymore, b-"

"Wait a minute." Hakuba put one hand up, seeing as the other hurt too much for him to bend. "When did you hurt your foot Kuroba-kun?" he looked up at me with confused eyes and a smile. "Did you fall off the train?"

_I fell off something._

Hattori and I looked at each other. I politely gestured for him to start with my hand since he was the one who'd gotten us involved.

"That sucks!" I said out loud to no one in particular, as I suddenly noticed something, before Hattori had the chance to speak. "I haven't gotten the chance to make any trouble. First Hakuba runs off on his own, then Conan-kun does the same, and now everything that just happened is because of Hattori-kun. When am I going to be able to have any fun?"

"Kuroba-kun, I'm not in the mood for your illogical, yet somehow optimistic, attitude right now." Hakuba put his hand up to his forehead in exasperation, throwing a hard look my way in the process. "You're pointedly trying to change the topic of the conversation."

"My bad. If you could proceed then Hattori-kun as I'm still not clear on everything you did since I wasn't going to get too close."

"Good thing too. Ya have no idea how much my dad was just itching ta get at ya." Hattori turned to face the other two. "I've a much easier way of tellin' ya what we've been up too. Kazuha hasn't stopped textin' me about it the whole time ya've been talking."

"I was wondering why you weren't imputing your opinions." I hadn't even noticed that he was answering his phone; it must have been on silent.

"Yeah, well it coulda been 'cause it was you or it might have been 'cause it was my dad. Either way," Hattori got up and went over to the small television on Mouri-san's desk and turned it to face us. "Apparently, it was news worthy."

He turned it on and then had to find a news station to tune into, since Kogoro had better things to watch than the daily broadcast.

A female newscaster came on the screen, in front of the building that now looked very different in the light of day. No blood adorned the walls; any trace of the ugly mess had been taken away. I couldn't help but see what should have been there and what_ was_ there just hours before. Judging by Hattori's hard stare, I didn't think the detective was any different.

'_We have yet to be granted an audience with any of the police officers so far on whether or not this was the work of the notorious Kaitou Kid or some other criminal. However, the murderer is still on the loose and extremely dangerous.' _

The scene cut to show the tearstained face of a woman in her thirties. '_My father wouldn't have done anything to hurt anyone. I can't understand who would want to do this to him.'_ She stuttered, a small hiccup in her voice.

It cut again. This time it was a man of strong build around the same age. '_Whoever killed my brother is a murderer! To all those people out there, you're defending someone who killed four people for no reason! So what if he's never done it before? If they let that murdering vigilante go because of you!-'_ the rest of the man's conversation was cut off as a man and a woman in their twenties came on. The way they looked at each other proved they weren't brother and sister.

'_How can you keep saying Kaitou Kid is guilty? There's no way he would do something like that!'_

'_Opinions are divided here at the scene of the crime where four men's lives came to a terrible end. With no word from the police, we are unable to announce a criminal or a motive in this mysterious case.'_

"Enough of that," Hattori turned it off and sighed. "Sorry. I thought my dad would be able ta clear ya before the TV guys got there."

"It's fine." I smiled and touched my hand to my chest. "I have some pretty dire-hard fans out there. I'm sure they'll be able to keep my name above water while the police sort everything out. Considering your dad and Nakamori-san didn't come for an interview with the press, I'm sure that they're doing something important."

"Yeah, I guess." Hattori scratched his head. "He's just usually so fast."

"Excuse me." Hakuba waved his hand in our direction. "But that didn't explain anything. If anything, I think we have more questions."

"Sure it did." Hattori started renaming the facts off. "Four men died. They thought Kid did it. However, since we all know he was with me, that's impossible. We went over there." The Osakan looked at me and I sighed, giving him a small smile. "Ok, well, I went down there. He followed. We proved to 'em that he didn't do it. Kinda. And we left."

"Then how did you hurt yourself?" Hakuba asked me again. Hattori looked at me puzzled as he tried to figure out how I could have been injured as well.

"When we were on the building." _'We' being a loose term since it implied Hattori, though he wasn't quite there with me. That and I was technically on the building._

"When? Did ya suddenly decide ta have a foot fight with the wall when I passed out?"

"No," Kudo stated coolly. "You're missing it too, Hattori." He turned to Hakuba, giving me an angry look along the way. "You provided the opportunity so I'm going to take advantage of it. Hakuba-kun," the detective looked at him upon hearing his name, "what do you see?"

"Hm?"

"Kuroba-kun has provided us with a mystery. So tell me, what do you see?"

I was a little confused at what Kudo was getting at. The small detective turned to face me, stealing a glance at Hakuba before putting his fingers up to his eyes and returning his gaze to me. "How did you get hurt?"

"You just asked me that."

"Answer it again for me please."

"I got hurt while we were on the building. It's no big deal."

"_His finger twitched slightly, and there was a slight pause in his wording."_ Hakuba said so quietly that I could just barely make the whole sentence out.

"Yes, but you're dealing with Kid now," Kudo whispered back, "So, what does that mean?"

"Nervous tick, maybe?"

"No."

"You're right," he put his head up to his head to rest it. "It's Kuroba. I'd have to guess then that it means we're too close to something."

"Right." Kudo turned back to me. "Where were you in the building when you got hurt?"

"I was outside and I only went in for a little while later on." I felt like a mouse in a maze. I could see that Kudo was using me to test Hakuba, but I didn't _want_ the detective to be able to read me. I had no way of stopping his little experiment so I had to play along.

"No movement."

"and…?" Kudo gestured his head for the detective to continue.

"Because it's Kuroba, it means he's tense or nervous. He's always in motion, especially when he's calm or confident." When he looked back up at me, I was smiling in amusement. If the detective thought he could figure out what I'd been doing, let him. I sincerely doubted that he could, but that didn't mean it couldn't be a fun process, and I didn't have to keep the information from him if Kudo was going to rat me out anyway.

Hakuba didn't remove his eyes from mine. I never really stared at him for so long before, except maybe when he was unconscious. The dark brown eyes didn't suit him at all.

"He's not lying though, so I'm guessing that he's just hiding something," the detective spoke up after a few moment of silent contemplation.

_Was I really hiding something? Why was I even thinking that way?_ Hakuba was my partner, at least for the moment, so I shouldn't have been hiding anything from him. Kudo and the detective had both been honest about what had happened with them, even if some of the information had to be wormed out of the detective. I shouldn't be hiding anything from Hakuba and I considered playing along willingly with this game of Kudo's, but that didn't mean I wanted Hakuba to know my thought process and actions. I had to make it my own game.

"Hakuba, so far I've answered all your questions truthfully." I smiled. "You figured that out easily enough. I'll answer all the others just as truthfully, though you'll need to know which ones to ask."

"That makes it too easy," he smiled back.

"We'll see."

"Fine then. Who were you outside with? Hattori-kun clearly has no idea where you'd gotten injured, which means he wasn't with you at the time."

"Who says I wasn't alone?"

"You did," he chidingly looked at me. "My memory isn't as bad as you seem to think it is. So, who was there with you?"

"I was with the Inspector." _Vague again. I wasn't going to make this easy for him. _It could have been with any Inspector. Though I had mentioned Nakamori's name earlier, that didn't mean I had to be with him.

"Where were you and the Inspector?"

I looked at him, confused as to why he hadn't had me clarify anything, like which Inspector I was with.

"We were outside."

"Where outside?"

Hakuba was looking at the bigger picture instead of the details. "Near the edge of the building."

"Near it? I didn't ask you where you were near, I asked where you were."

"Fine then, Hakuba," I smiled. "We were at one of the windows."

Both detectives gave me puzzled looks. Even Kudo seemed a bit confused, not comprehending what I said.

"How could you have been outside _with_ the Inspector, yet at the window? That would put you _inside_ the building."

"Who's to say I wasn't outside and he was inside?"

"_You_ did Kuroba-kun. Now quit trying to throw me off with your questions. The only way that you could have both been outside and at a window would be if you were on the ground floor, but that still doesn't answer the question of how you hurt yourself."

Hakuba sighed and thought silently to himself for a while more. Kudo seemed to have figured out what was up because his half-lidded eyes stared back at Hakuba in annoyance.

"Hakuba-kun, you're thinking too one dimensional again."

"He's right." I smirked at the detective. He was close enough to the truth that a little help from me and Kudo could get him the rest of the way. Even if I didn't assist him, he would figure it out eventually.

I took a red cloth into my hand. Hakuba looked at me warily, scarcely glancing at the material. "It's red, right?"

"Yes."

"I've told you its red. I'm not lying. It _is_ red. You've seen it with your own eyes too. All in all, it can't be anything but red, right?"

"That would seem to be the case."

I turned it inside out and now the cloth was blue. "The cloth is still red."

"What are you talking about Kuroba-kun? This side is blue."

"I _never_ said it wasn't blue. I just told you it was red and yes, part of it is red, so I wasn't lying. I just neglected to tell you that it had two colors."

Hakuba eyes widened as he got my meaning.

"You were outside, yet you were at a window. You've already implied that you weren't on the ground floor, but there's no where else you could have been…" the detective continued to think of other possibilities, "You're Kid… that should definitely be taken into consideration because what you do is _not_ normal so I shouldn't be looking for something normal. I guess that you could be outside the building, but how could you have been with the Inspector at the same time? …Unless you taught him how to walk on thin air as well."

"Now you're thinking too much Hakuba." I turned the cloth over to the red side. "It's still red. I haven't changed it."

"Hm," He said quietly, taking in the new information. "Simpler than walking on air then. Let's see. You were outside the building. You were not on the ground floor. That means you must have been on the side of the building then because you weren't on the roof either." He looked up at me now with narrowed eyes. "Were you both hanging out the window or something?"

"Close."

"When I left ya, both of you were on the roof? Why'd ya stay together? I thought you were tryin' ta get away from him?"

"Yes, Kuroba-kun wouldn't willingly stay by officers unless he had to… and they were on the roof." Hakuba eyes widened when he thought of something. "You were hanging off the roof!" He smiled, finally connecting everything together. "You were _near_ the edge of the building, you were at the window with the Inspector, you were outside, and you weren't on the ground floor. So you were both hanging off the building after, what I can only guess, falling off the edge where you consequently hurt your foot."

"Bingo." I put up a finger and smiled at him.

"You _fell_ off the buildin'?" Hattori shouted in my ear.

"I _did not _fall off the building!" I defended myself. "I jumped!"

"What?"

"_The Inspector_ fell off the building and I had to go get him. I _do not_ fall off of buildings." I crossed my arms and eyed the Osakan, rubbing my shoulder against my damaged ear where his voice had echoed way too loudly in.

Hakuba reached over and grabbed the handkerchief from me before I could put it away, gasping in a sharp breath but hiding the pain away quickly as he sat back down. He turned it over. Both sides were a solid red color.

"Kuroba-kun, how did you do that?" He looked up at me with awe and amusement. He'd never seemed impressed with my tricks before now, but then again, I hadn't really performed much around him since I was afraid it could have given me away.

"I can't tell you, but at least you were able to figure everything out. Maybe next time you can do it without the clues."

"I couldn't even follow some of that," Hattori sighed, looking disappointed in himself.

"No, it was easier for Hakuba-kun because he knows Kuroba-kun better than we do."

"Then how did _you_ follow all that?" Hattori inquired, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I'm just that good." Kudo's returned smirk was just a few shades down of conceited. Toned down purposely because of what I could only guess was past failure.

"Kuroba-kun, how'd the Inspector fall off the building?"

"He was sitting-" _Stop. _I told myself. If I was going to trust Hakuba, I was going to have to tell him anything that concerned the case. And this certainly qualified as being something to do with the case. "He was sitting on the edge, which had been purposely chipped away so that when someone sat on it too long or moved too much, they would fall. The Inspector had the bad luck of being that person and I had to jump off the roof to get him. When we stopped, someone tried to shoot at us, but they missed. We got back in the building through the window and I haven't seen the shooter since."

"And you weren't going to share that situation with us?"

"It took me a while," I confessed. "I did tell you though, didn't I?"

"You did, this time." Hakuba watched me closely and I looked up to meet his eyes before wandering and noticing him messing with the cloth. He held it back out to me, though he kept his arms close. "But I don't want you playing these kinds of tricks on me. Partners don't lie to each other. That includes misleading them and withholding information. I don't want our partnership to be like this cloth, changing its colors to suit you whenever you please."

At some point while dealing with Hakuba, I'd lost the difference between myself and Kid. I was able to freely do everything I had as Kaito, but still keep my serious tones as Kid when something upset me, taking on the burden without having to act like an idiot. I didn't know when I'd stopped seeing myself as one or the other, but I was sure I hadn't done so before this whole case started.

"Yes, tricks are better played on our adversaries." I took the cloth and shook it once more, its color changing to a sudden, bright green. "But that doesn't mean I can stop little things like this."

It was the one thing I could never drop, as both Kid and Kaito. One thing I knew that my father had been unable to drop as well. Mysterious world-renowned thief or high school class clown, when it came down to it, with either persona, one thing always came first…

I was a magician.


	26. An Obvious Fact

_**Chapter 26: An Obvious Fact**_

I had enough of sitting around doing nothing to last me a lifetime. It was time to take action. We were all hurt at the moment. It would be a few days before we could actually do something, but I was through playing around with the detectives. Things were going to happen and they were going to happen soon. I'd be the bait if it came down to it, and they had no way of stopping me.

"Ouch," I yelped, trying to draw my foot away as the professor prodded it with his large fingers. We'd all gone back to his house since it was right down the street, and because none of us wanted to be around Kogoro any longer. Not only was that man an idiot, he was an _obnoxious _idiot. It was a wonder how well Ran turned out.

"You should really go to the hospital with these injuries. There may be bones broken or a fracture further inside your ankle. If so, those won't heal well by themselves. If you don't get help, it may even get worse."

"Hopefully, it's just a hairline fracture. I can't afford to be stuck in the hospital right now." I got my foot away from the old man without too much un-due pain. I had been sitting on his desk while he was in the chair so my foot was already hurting from the slanted motion.

"Kuroba-kun, you can walk on it, can't you?" Hakuba looked over at me from where he was laying on the large green couch. "If you can't walk, then I don't think you should be doing _anything_ until you can. Running is one of your only redeeming qualities and you can't do that without your foot."

"Says the guy who's wrapped up like a mummy," I snorted. Hakase had taken the time to help with the detective's injuries as well. Under his deep brown button up shirt, which he'd gotten from Kudo, were tightly wrapped bandages that had been taped around his torso. It severely restricted his movement, which was the only reason he was laying down and talking to me instead of sitting up.

"At least I freely admit that I'm hurt. I also have to add in the fact that I don't think a simple car accident could cause as much damage as falling off a building."

"I said I didn't fall," I repeated myself, in a somewhat indignant tone.

"It doesn't matter." Kudo spoke up from across the room, where he'd just come out of the shower with wet hair and a towel draped over his shoulders. "Everyone's hurt so everyone's going to rest for the time being. I can't possibly take them on alone, so there's no need to rush things."

"Of course there is. Until we stop them, anyone who is associated with any of us is going to be in danger. Considering they've seen all of us but you, Conan-kun, that is still a lot of people."

"There's nothing any of us can do about that until everyone is at least healed enough to move around freely without wincing, or do you think that we'd stand a chance against them the way we are now?"

"Geez," I mumbled unhappily, my tirade a bit put out by Kudo's words. Both of them had been ganging up on me about staying still, something I wasn't use to doing for such a long period of time, and waiting. I wasn't going to let the detectives win this one.

Hattori was sleeping in the other room so he couldn't add his input. Although he'd had time before he passed out to get his shoulder properly wrapped up, in addition to taking some antibiotics to aid in the healing process. Being unconscious and injured was still helping the other two detective's standpoint though, even if he didn't mean to.

"I think we have bigger problems than trying to find them right now." Kudo's eyes darkened as he looked out the large windows at the night sky. "I've been trying, but I can't think of a way to stop them. Taking down the organization would be great, but pretty much impossible at the moment. There's no other way I can think of to get everyone back out of danger besides taking them down."

"You can't."

The new voice distracted me, but its familiarity was enough not to overly startle me.

"Can't what?" Hakuba asked, at eye level with the girl as she stood across the room after just coming up from the basement.

"You can't stop them. I'm amazed you've gotten as far as you have without any of you dying. However, your luck won't last much longer."

"Haibara," Kudo said to her sternly, "You don't know that."

"You may act like the voice of reason, but you're an optimist at heart. I'm not." The blonde girl walked to the front of the room and leaned against the wall so that we were all in easy view. "So what was your plan? Were you guys just going to go up to them and tell them to stop trying to kill everyone?" There was a mirthless laugh behind her sarcastic smile. "That's not going to work."

On all accounts, I really _hadn't_ been thinking about how I was going to deal with them. I didn't know how to stop murderers. In fact, I was hoping that Kudo or Hakuba had a solution for that. Kudo didn't, and neither, apparently, did Hakuba.

Haibara nodded in understanding. "That's what I thought. Even if you did have some idea on how to get out of this, it wouldn't have worked. There isn't a way to take them on."

"Me," I whispered. "There has to be some way we can use me."

_-'I wouldn't use it against you'-_

Vermouth's words echoed in my head. I'd taken them for the truth at the time. Her colleagues then wouldn't have any information on my real self, at least not from Vermouth, which left me free as Kid to take on the danger without bringing the danger back to my friends or family.

"Kuroba-kun, I don't-"

"Be quiet," Haibara snapped in a deep voice and turned to watch Kudo. The small teen was sitting in a rather uncomfortable looking position in front of the desk, his fingers interlocked under his chin.

"I really don't think that you're thinking straight." Hakuba tried to get up, taking in a sharp breath of pain in his attempt.

"Stay still you idiot!" Haibara's strict and sudden outburst made the detective fall back onto the couch as she rounded on him. "If anyone here was thinking straight, then they would have handed you and the children over to them. That would solve everyone's problems, and no one would be in danger anymore. It would only cost a few lives that _would_ be lost anyway. They are _not _going to let you walk away from this, at least not alive." The girl was close to Hakuba, but stopped to give them both space. "If you don't let them try to find another way, then it's pointless and you should already count yourself among the dead."

The professor shook his head somewhat sadly behind me, the slight motion causing me to turn around to look at him; I'd turned away from him to face the others in the room. I guess he was disappointed about what the girl had just said.

Of all of Kudo's acquaintances, Haibara seemed to be the most intelligent, and the most mature. With how she'd helped me, and the fact that she was staying with the professor, I came to two conclusions; she was either a relative of the professor's with a high IQ, or she was in a situation similar to Kudo's, involving these people in black. Judging from the way she spoke of them with experience, I was going with the latter.

I may not understand the method, but I understood the means of what that must have meant for both of them.

It wasn't surprising then that, though Hakuba was clearly mad at Haibara, he kept his temper in check, instead settling to just glare at the young girl. The two just stared at one another in silence. I couldn't tell if it was because Hakuba didn't want to yell at a girl, and a young one at that, or if he simply had nothing to say back. Of course, considering that Hakuba did not know about Kudo's "little" situation, it wasn't surprising that Hakuba would not lash out against someone who he assumed was just a little girl.

"Kuroba-kun," Kudo spoke up, causing me to look down at him.

"Yeah?"

"Even with your help, I can't think of any reason they would let Hakuba-kun live. They want this disc that you have, correct?" Kudo turned to the detective. Hakuba broke eye contact with Haibara to nod to him.

"If they get the disc, that shouldn't be enough to stop them either. I was thinking you could pretend to be Hakuba-kun and fake your death, being that you have more practice with that kind of thing, but that would leave him with nowhere to go afterwards. He'd have to change his identity and hide from the organization for the rest of his life."

"I'm not going to hide," Hakuba bluntly informed us.

"But he would be alive," I added. "Let's call that plan B."

"Right," Kudo nodded. "The only other outcome I can think of is if they _do_ get the disc, they somehow let him go. That would be enough, though unlikely. The children I'm a bit worried about. We'll have to keep them hidden, possibly for the rest of their lives as well."

"So, where Hakuba's concerned, we hope they keep him alive and if they don't, then I simply have to pretend I'm him and fake my death somehow. That's easy enough."

"First things first, we need that disc so that they can have the evidence they're looking to retrieve without hopefully killing everyone. Where is it?"

We all turned to look at the detective, but he just put his head to the side and ignored us. "I have no reason to tell you. If you're going to go behind my back and make plans on your own without involving me, than I have no reason to share my information with you in return."

"Hakuba-kun, we are not hiding anything from you." Kudo's logic was better than my own so I stayed out of the conversation. "It is a well-known fact that Kuroba-kun can handle himself better than you can. Do not take that the wrong way. We have to go with the path of least resistance and highest success rate. If you want to make a suggestion, then go ahead. Don't sit there and complain to _me_ that life isn't fair when you have control over what we do. Just speak up and give us a better option."

I could see that the detective was trying to ignore Kudo, but the boy made too much sense, forcing Hakuba to give in. He sighed and turned back to look at us.

"I'm not sure exactly where the disc is, but I'm guessing it's still at Kuroba-kun's house."

"Why would it be at my house?"

He looked up to meet my eyes, this time with a smile. "I gave it to you when all of this first started happening. With how curious you are, I thought you would have found it a long ago."

"Where'd you put it? The first time I knew _anything_ was happening was after that fire."

"Which was when I gave it to you. You didn't return it so I thought that you were keeping it. I didn't even consider the thought that you never even looked and in fact, it just slipped your mind."

"You didn't give me anything, but your jacket."

Hakuba raised his eyebrows at me, making me realize as I slapped a hand to my forehead. "It was in your jacket, wasn't it?"

The detective laughed at me. It was a small and short laugh, but it was real and it lightened the mood in the room.

"So we'll need to head over to Kuroba-kun's to get the disc. We'll do that _only_ after at least a day of rest, which means, at the earliest, tomorrow night. We'll have to 'accidentally' get their attention and see what they plan to do when they have the evidence back in their possession. I would like to make a few calls too, so that we're not doing this alone."

"Okay, but I'm going as Kid right? Is it a good idea to bring other people along?"

"I don't know if you're going to be the distraction or not. Even if you are, I'll make sure to explain the circumstances so they don't go after you." Kudo smiled in amusement at the thought. "I don't think the FBI's reputation could stand up to anything less than success if they did try to catch you, but I'm sure I could convince them, with the Black Organization being involved, to tolerate your involvement."

Haibara shook her head and walked away from Hakuba, heading back downstairs. She stopped next to Kudo to whisper something to him.

"You're on your own for this one Kudo-kun," Haibara said quietly. I was close enough to catch her words, though no one else could. Calling him by his real name solidified the fact that she knew more than most. "Don't get yourself killed."

"I won't."

"Well," I stretched with a yawn, the effects of not sleeping for more than twenty-four hours finally hitting me. "I'm going to go to bed."

I jumped off the table, wincing as I landed on my foot funny. Everyone turned to look at me, but I shrugged off the pain as I went into the other room to sleep in the bed next to Hattori. I would have stayed in the room with Hakuba, but he looked more like he was in the mood to talk than to sleep, and I _really _wanted to sleep.

At a certain place in my instep, I could feel sharp pain run through my leg whenever I put weight on it. I tried not to pay any attention to it, but walking for any length of time was going to be taxing.

It felt stupid, but I put a pillow under that foot as I laid down. I had to sleep on my side so that it would hurt a little less. The headache I'd been carrying around since I'd gotten hurt kept me from falling asleep immediately. Eventually, the necessity of it took over and I passed out. However, I have no memory of how long it took me to fall unconscious.

…

It was no surprise that Hattori woke up before me, but the noise he was making made it hard for me to wake up in a good mood.

Whatever it was the Osakan was doing was very loud and, considering he was only a meter or so away, very annoying. I peeked my eyes open, only to find Hattori messing with some of the stuff I'd had in my jacket. A jacket which I'd forgotten to get back from him.

"Hattori-kun!" I shouted, getting up too fast and forgetting about my foot. I hissed in pain as I put too much weight on it. Quickly recovering from the sudden discomfort, I immediately grabbed the very loud, very high pitched, ringer out of his hands. I brought it with me in case we ever ran into dogs. At the moment, the frequency was low enough to be heard by most humans. I'd had it set higher for stealth and, on the way to school one day, had all the dogs going crazy before I'd finally found the stupid thing, since I couldn't hear it and had forgotten where I put it. I'd set at the level lower after that so I wouldn't repeat the incident.

I located the hidden button on the small black device, turning it off so that my ears would stop ringing. "Quit playing around with my things."

"Sorry," he murmured, scratching his head and looking at me apologetically. "I couldn't tell what it was."

"You're not supposed to be able to tell what it is. All my things are designed to look strange or normal looking so don't go messing with them, or the next one might not be an annoying noise but something worse."

"I don't think ya'd carry anythin' dangerous."

"How do you think I get through glass windows and metal grates, with magic?" I took my jacket back and played with the lining until I found the opening I was looking for. I took out a glass cutter, opened with no protection across the blade since the pocket itself served as the sheath. I waved the blade in front of him. "I have some dangerous toys too, so keep your hands off."

"I wouldn't have hurt myself. I know how ta be careful when I hafta."

"Sure you do detective, but I _do not_ want you touching my stuff," I said in exasperation.

"It's not like I'm goin' after ya or anythin'. What have ya got against me seeing yer gadgets?"

"I'm just not used to people messing with things that are mine, especially these kinds of things. What if I went through your room and looked at everything?"

"That would be weird, but it's not like I've got anythin' to hide."

_So like a detective to say that_. "Just don't touch anything unless you ask. I'm not dealing with a five-year-old. If you want to know about something, ask me."

"Ok then. How come ya didn't tell me what had happened when I'd gone ta sleep, but ya didn't mind talkin' ta Kudo and Hakuba-kun when they asked ya? Seems like yer still tryin' ta keep secrets."

"Of course I am." I sat on the bed and faced the other teen. I don't think I would ever have this conversation with Hakuba or Kudo, but Hattori was different. He might just understand me.

"I'm not a detective, and by all accounts I'm not even considered one of the good guys." I watched him to make sure he understood and he shrugged instead of nodding. Good enough. "I can't trust the temporary alliance to make any difference when everything goes back to how it was. If Kudo-kun and Hakuba use anything against me, it will be stuff that I've accidentally let slip here. At the end of the day, I'm still a thief and I don't plan on changing that any time soon. For my own reasons," I quickly added.

"I think yer an idiot."

Hattori didn't articulate any further. He just left the statement hanging and watched me.

"Wow, Hattori-kun's words of wisdom. How enlightening they are." I tried to laugh off. However, Hattori kept a straight face.

"Go steal the Eiffel Tower for all I care. I've gotten to know ya, whether ya wanted me to or not. Kudo's even keener than I am and probably has ya pegged better'n I do. Heck, Hakuba-kun_ knows_ you. There's no way that any of us would do somethin' like that. I don't want ta see ya behind bars."

"You don't mind me stealing and you don't want to see my arrested? You can you call yourself a detective after saying that?" I asked with a smile.

"An' a damn good one!" Hattori shouted in offense, getting to his feet. "I've seen ya risk yer life fer me when ya didn't hafta! I know that some thieves, like you claim ta be, wouldn't have done somethin' like that unless he was ridin' on important morals and values. If yer stealin', yer doing it for some damn good reason and I can see that. Heck, everyone can see it. We're not lettin' ya slide 'cause we're bad detectives, we are doin' it 'cause we know it's worth the risk to trust ya. Apparently, ya don't feel the same."

Hattori went over to the door and I could tell he wanted to slam it, but instead he forced himself to close it slowly as he shouted to me, "Get yer priorities straight!"

I watched the door with undisguised shock for a few moments.

"Damn it," I whispered under my breath to myself. _Damn it, damn it, damn it. _I just made the one detective that I felt I could trust mad at me. Hakuba was trustworthy to a point as well, but he didn't understand me and I knew, somehow, that he would never be able to. We'd grown up too differently. He had too strong of an honor code to let me walk away with no repercussions.

'_I need to know that catching those who break the law, even for good reason, is right.' _

And damn it, he was _trying_ to understand me. It hadn't even occurred to me that Hakuba wasn't prying into my life to get a good look at me, but actually trying to understand how I was feeling.

And didn't that just make it all the worse.

My brand of trust, my brand of thinking, everything about me was wrong, but it wasn't like I could change it all at the flip of a coin. I needed… something. Hakuba had already shown me that he was willing to help; that he understood what I was doing must have been important just like Hattori repeated to me. It just didn't seem real.

What did I _want_ to do was the question. I wanted to trust the detectives, I really did. At the same time though, I couldn't. I couldn't let them know anything about me that might endanger me at some point, or worse, endanger them.

I never really had anyone I could talk to before. Jii was there but he was old and couldn't understand what I was feeling most of the time so I never burdened him with it.

And I wasn't even using that as an excuse to ask for help like Hakuba had. It was hard to separate the things in my mind that I was willing to tell them and those that I wasn't. I could erase that line one of two ways; I could tell them everything, or I could keep going on as I have been and let slip only what I thought I could get away with. Neither option was to my liking.

"Kuroba-kun," Hakuba whispered my name as he opened the door. I smiled a little and turned away from the detective, feeling guilty about my own thoughts. Hakuba closed the door and sat on the bed across from me, slowly and carefully so as to not hurt himself further.

"Why'd you grab Conan-kun instead of trying to ground yourself? That way you wouldn't get hurt. And here I thought self-preservation was the instinct that most people defaulted to," I asked. It was a thought that occurred to me, but I didn't really want to know the answer. It seemed like when I am under stress I just spew out whatever question or thought comes to mind so that I wouldn't be asked anything instead.

"Apparently, I'm more like you than I believed I was and the safety of others came to me before my own. I wasn't even conscious of the decision. All I was thinking at the time was that there was someone next to me and I had to protect them because I could. It made it a lot easier to see how you could let yourself get shot instead of ducking out of the way and protecting yourself. I didn't, no…" He laughed a little. "I couldn't understand it before the car accident."

"Hm." Hakuba was trying to understand me. I hadn't really tried to understand how he was feeling, not like how he was trying. I knew he felt divided about accepting my help, but that problem hadn't come back up since we'd met up with the other two and Hakuba began to experience my way of life.

I was getting exposed to his life now, and I wasn't comfortable with it.

"You look like someone just spoiled one of your magic tricks for you. That's something truly unforgivable," Hakuba said with a smile, before his expression became a little more concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry." It was all I could say at the moment. I hadn't even noticed how unfairly I'd been treating the detective, even when he'd brought the accusation up against me.

Hakuba looked at me, confused, closing his mouth before he was able to say anything.

"You don't speak my language, right?" I smiled. "Sometimes I don't speak it either." I placed my head on my hands and rubbed my eyes. "I don't know. Maybe I'm the one confused now."

"Well, I can't offer any words of wisdom on this case or your side job, but I'm open for almost anything else if you want to ask. Kuroba-kun…" he waited for me to lift my head back up, but I still kept my chin rested on my hands, unconsciously making myself smaller. "What's wrong? I don't think I've ever seen you look depressed. It doesn't suit you."

"I… can't really see us as friends." I looked down again, but didn't hide my face. "I know I said we were but… I think I had the wrong definition of 'friend' at the time. It's not that I don't _want_ to be friends with you…"

Hakuba smiled, somehow getting something different out of what I said. I expected him to be depressed about it too. "You just don't know how to be friends with someone like me, am I right? I'm quite fine with waiting until you get used to the idea. I had to get use to being friends with a thief after all, and I know it takes some getting used to."

"What if I never get used to it?" I whispered. "And what if… what if it's a bad thing? What if being friends with you gets you…" Heck. A lot of things could get the detective killed. His own stupid code of honor for one. That tended to put his life in danger, especially now. I didn't want to add anther reason to that list.

"Kuroba-kun, I would like to ask you something."

I looked up and Hakuba wasn't smiling anymore, but he didn't seem mad either; just contemplative.

"Sure."

"I want you to pretend to be in my place for a moment. So lets say you've gotten yourself in danger, not a hard feat for you to pull off. Now, you're in over your head and don't know how to handle the situation so you go looking for help. You find it. Again, since I said I wanted you in my place, say you found me to help you."

The detective waited until I nodded to show I understood.

"Now, again I'm switching the circumstance to seem more probable. Say we're on a murder case and you _can not _help even though you want to. In fact, I keep getting hurt trying to find the killer, and there is nothing you can do about it. That would understandably frustrate you, would it not?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? I wouldn't feel comfortable playing backseat to anything. I'd find a way to change things."

"I can't do that. No surprise there. What if you couldn't either?"

"I'd find a way." I instinctively stiffened my hands in defiance against the accusation.

"And what would be your reason for that? Would it be to see the bad guys get caught…" Hakuba started to smile now, the only emotion he had shown since he started the hypothetical situation, "Or would your determination be aimed at trying to get me out of danger?"

"I'd get you out of danger first, and then go after the criminal."

"Ok, now say there was another detective there as well. Hattori-kun, just for example, because I'm unsure of any other detective that we would both be familiar with. If we were both in danger, which one of us would you help first?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?" I let my hands fall and sat up straight so that we were at eye level. "I'd get you both out!"

"And if you couldn't? If you knew there was only time to save one of us?"

"Then…" I let out a quick breath. "I guess we would all die because I'd try to get you both out anyways."

"Exactly," Hakuba's exclamation made it seem like he thought I would understand what he was saying. "I don't think it's your definition of friendship that's messed up. I think it's your definition of trust. Responsibility and friendship often get mixed up with you and you've broadened your perception on friendship to match the other, giving you more reason to strive to save people. If there was no danger, would you still find it amusing to hang out with me?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Why?" He let his smile grow now and he tried to relax without hurting himself. "There wouldn't be any need to be around me because there would be no danger. Why would you want to be in my company if you did not need to be?"

"But there is danger. If there wasn't, maybe we could be real friends."

"So you can only befriend me when you feel safe in your own environment, when there is no outside force getting in your way. I didn't know you were so controlling." Hakuba still wouldn't stop smiling. "I admit I understand the feeling, but you can't take on the world alone like you are trying to do now."

"And you know what?" He added, somehow making his smile turn sad. "It's very lonely doing things that way."

"I like things the way they are now, minus the whole evil organization trying to kill us part."

"Only because you have Aoko-kun to counteract it with. You can spend the nights alone and the days with a friend. You let her in and, with at least one person there besides you, you can feel that things are alright. They aren't, and you'll find that out sooner or later."

Hakuba took a few moments before he continued. "At least you have her." He sighed and laid down, again, doing so slowly. "That will hopefully be enough for you."

"I love how the one preaching this to me spends his days locked inside his house, doing whatever it takes to keep himself busy and one step ahead of everyone."

"I admit to being controlling myself. And yes, because of my interests, I have many acquaintances but very little friends. Unlike you, though, I do know what a friend is and I have no qualms about it. The few friends I have are very precious to me. However, I don't smother them to keep them out of danger…" He let himself reminisce on something in the past before adding in a quiet voice, "That can sometimes be a fate worse then death."

"Nothing is worse then death."

"Kuroba-kun," he sighed, closing his eyes. "There are many things worse than death and, having been around the former for quite some time, I am confident in that statement. Maybe it's a good thing that you can't understand it."

The room was silent, but after a few seconds Hakuba opened his eyes in surprise.

"Kuroba-kun?" The detective got up and tried to look at me. He made it half way before his curiosity got the better of him. "What is it you're so afraid of?"

"What do you mean?" I asked him. I didn't know what he was referring to, especially when my mind was still running in circles after what he'd just finished telling me.

"Something in the past must have scared you, badly; enough to force you to keep risking your life. The enigma of Kid; the way you can't trust others, but you can care for them more then yourself, how you're willing to risk your life for even those who don't deserve it… There's something there, fueling your actions. I believe you truly care about life, but there's something else as well. Something that makes you completely forsake that life you care so much about for the safety of others…"

I shook my head to show him he had lost me, but Hakuba didn't notice. He was on a trail and, like the detective he was, completely focused on the task.

"It's not the fear of death that scares you, like it is for most people. It's the fear of other people dying…" Hakuba absently moved his fingers as he thought, brushing back his hair where it had fallen into his eyes and inadvertently showing off his new bruise.

"Oh!" His fidgeting all but stopped. He looked at me as if I were some new strange phenomenon that had just appeared before him. "Kuroba-kun, you're afraid of being left behind aren't you? _That's why you don't let anyone close to you!_ You've known Aoko-kun for years so she's a safe bet, but you keep your distance from everyone else because you're afraid they may leave, permanently if not figuratively."

He put a hand up to his forehead. "Of course that's why you're having such a hard time accepting me as a friend! I don't live here! At least, not all the time. On top of that, I'm also a detective and prone to running off. Being a detective also means I have a high probability rate of dying, even if you are there."

Hakuba laughed as if it was so obvious, that he should have noticed sooner. I could only stare blankly back at him, lost in some neutral territory of my mind where I didn't have to think too deeply.

"What in the world would make you feel and think that way? Kuroba-kun, this is so abnormal that I can't even find words for it. Humans are very social people, as you obviously are. I have my own reasons for growing up the way I have, but you've been gifted with an environment that your personality should have flourished in. What affected you so much that you've given up on making any real connections to anyone?"

"Nothing." I had no real thoughts on the matter; my tone was just as emotionless.

"Kuroba-kun," He smiled. "I'd like it if you could tell me. I have no reason to use anything you say against you, since I don't plan on chasing you as Kid after this is all over. You should have no problems telling me now."

"I honestly couldn't tell you since I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Fine then, answer me this and then we can get back to my first question. If you feel this strongly about being left behind, then it means that at some point in your life someone left you. Left for some reason you couldn't prevent. Who was it?"

"No one has left me."

"Kuroba-kun, you can't lie to me." He gestured a hand in my direction. "I can tell by your posture that whatever it was upset you greatly."

"He didn't leave!" I shouted. I didn't know where the emotion came from because I hadn't felt any warnings of it seconds ago. In fact, I hadn't felt anything at all during the entire conversation, until now. "He was taken and I won't let anything be taken from me again!"

I got up to leave the room; I did not want to stay there any longer. Hakuba jumped up as well and grabbed my wrist. I felt the gloves hold tight against my bare skin. His sharp short breaths reminded me of his injuries, which stopped me from hitting him.

"Don't…run!" He got in before I could make a move to dislodge him. "You're no coward, so quit acting like one!" He took a deeper breath to try and control his breathing, but his limited movement restricted it. "I'm not a possession. I won't be taken from anyone because I _do not_ belong to anyone! Kuroba-kun, do you hear me? I'm not going to disappear and I'm not going to be treated like a stranger either! You're my friend, even if I'm not yours, and I don't want you doing this to yourself! I'm sure Aoko-kun wouldn't like it either if she could see you now!"

_Calm down. He doesn't know what he's taking about. Don't say those words you were just about to yell out,_ I told myself. I was close to just about twisting the detective's arm and claiming I was right about not being able to be his friend. I knew the consequences that would have come if I had so I didn't. _Breathe and calm down._

"Fine Hakuba." I relaxed myself and looked him in the eye. "I don't want you interfering with me in the future because what I'm doing needs to be done. Not you, or even Aoko, can stop me on this. My decision is set. However, if you want to understand, I'll tell you."


	27. Playing Nice

Sorry, sorry. Boring chapter this is. Better next time, it will be ~ Yoda guru  
hehe... sorry.

* * *

_**Chapter 27: Playing Nice**_

Hakuba understood. He sat through my entire story without the incisive questions I'd pictured the detective asking. He just sat there, and listened.

"Kuroba-kun," Hakuba stated quietly after I'd finished. I hadn't left anything out. I'd even filled him in on all my dealings with Snake. It was strange, but I didn't feel the slightest tinge nervous after laying out my life in front of him. I felt rather calm, almost relieved. "If I tell you something, I would appreciate it if you didn't hold it against me."

"Say whatever you want." I flopped on the bed and looked at the ceiling, not caring anymore. Every emotion going through my body was mysteriously numb.

"I think you're an idiot."

"Heh," I laughed. "Doesn't everybody?"

"I don't think your father would have wanted you doing any of this."

"Oh you don't, is that right detective? Well I'm sorry that I misinterpreted the man's words considering his tape was practically trash by the time I found it and you clearly knew him so much better than I did."

"I may not have known him personally, but if he is anything like you then I know that he must care about what happens to you. Kuroba-kun, I don't think _he _was looking for this gem that you've been searching for." Hakuba paused for a minute. "Your father went back home, to be with you and your mother. He did not run around risking his life. What other reason could there be for him to have died, not as Kaitou Kid but as himself?"

_What?_

"Kuroba-kun, don't you see? He was trying to keep you out of danger. He wouldn't have wanted you to run towards death any more than he was willing to."

"You – you don't know that," I stuttered in shock and confusion. "How can I just sit here while the people who murdered my father get away with it? The gem – it's just a consolation prize. Having me go after it stops them from hurting others, the way they hurt me."

"So you get hurt instead? Your father wouldn't have wanted that."

"Shut up!"

"I'm sorry," Hakuba put his hands up. "I didn't mean it that way. I understand what you're doing and, though I can't condone it legally, I can't say I wouldn't be doing the same thing in your position. Well, I'd need a personality readjustment," he added with a smile, "but knowing you as I do, I can identify with your feelings. I just wanted you to be aware of the facts."

I hadn't thought about it before. I'd assumed that dad was killed while on stage because it was the easiest way to get rid of him. Killing him as Kaitou Kid would have made more sense though, since they couldn't be sure it was really dad until the Kid stopped showing up.

"Kuroba-kun, you should stop being afraid that everyone you meet might be taken away from you. It happens sometimes and there is nothing we can do about it. I'm not expecting you to trust me overnight. I can see that you're trying and that's enough. If you don't ever feel comfortable around me, I wouldn't hold it against you. I can't say I feel completely at ease around you all the time either…" The detective let it sink in as he thought to himself as well, "But it's a lot easier for me to do than I thought it would be."

"You know that not many people can make me speechless, but I really don't know what to say to you." I smiled at him, trying to get all my emotions in order.

"I'll take that as a sign that you've let me in close enough to affect you then. I'd like it if you'd come with me somewhere. The sky is clear and I'm sure Hattori-kun and Conan-kun would like to come as well."

"Where?"

"Kuroba-kun, I think your version of the world_ is_ black and white. What you consider _good_ is just a little more flexible than most. It's clear how you think of yourself as well. Let me show you the grey."

"Now what is that supposed to mean?"

"It won't be anything dangerous. Since we're stuck here for a while, I thought that I'd take everyone with me. I also need someone to help me out since I don't have the full motion of my body."

Hakuba got up and went to the door, looking back at me.

"Do you want to join me?"

"You haven't even told me where you're going? How should I know if I want to come with you?"

"You'll just have to trust me."

"Fine." I got up and followed him out. I hadn't gotten very much sleep, but the sun was up and shining brightly through the windows, telling my body it was time to be awake. A clock on Kudo's far wall informed me that it was a little before nine in the morning.

Hattori glanced at me from across the room where he was lounging on the couch. He looked at both me and the detective as we entered and grinned before fixing his hat and turning back to Kudo, who he was currently playing chess against. Kudo had the black pieces and was clearly wining.

"Kuroba-kun, may I borrow your phone?" Hakuba asked after subconsciously checking his pockets.

"What happened to yours?"

"Car accident, remember? Unfortunately, my phone wasn't as durable as I thought it was."

As I handed the detective my black flip phone, he looked at me with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Why'd you get a black one? I thought it would be white."

"If I had a white one, you would have been bothering me constantly if you saw me using it. Besides, I had the black one since before I was Kid, and I didn't feel like getting a new one."

Hakuba shrugged his shoulders and dialed the number I recognized for his house.

"Baaya it's me." Hakuba said without pause, apparently he didn't need any introduction when it came to the old woman. "I have a favor to ask. Could you bring him out to Beika? It's a little bit of a drive, but he should be fine."

_Him? He?_

"Yes that would be fine." Hakuba put a hand up to the speaker and turned to the Kudo. "What's the address?"

Kudo answered him back, paying more attention to us than the game in front of him since he seemed more interested in what we were doing. Hattori didn't even try to salvage a decent defeat. He looked at Kudo and put his hands up in surrender so that he wouldn't interrupt Hakuba's call.

"Can you find the place?... Thank you." Hakuba hung up the phone before turning to the other two detectives. "As I've explained to Kuroba here, we more or less can't do anything until everyone is feeling better so I want to know if you would like to join me in the countryside."

"And the phone call?" Kudo asked, clearly intrigued.

"I asked Baaya to bring Watson over here. We could go out for the day and see if he can catch anything."

"You're an austringer?" Kudo asked with surprise. "I didn't realize you trained him for something like that." Hattori and I just looked on in confusion since neither of us recognized the term.

"Actually I am." Hakuba raised his eyebrows and smiled at Kudo. "I'm a little surprised to hear the term though. Very few people have ever called me that, especially outside my own circles. Besides that, not many seem to realize what I do considering it doesn't seem as popular here as it is in London."

"Yer a what?"

"I didn't know that when I first saw you," Kudo imputed, effective ignoring Hattori's outburst. "I've never seen something like that. I would be happy to go with you and get some fresh air."

"Great. Hattori-kun, you can stay if you want to then." Hakuba waved at the Osakan in dismissal, causing the dark-skinned boy to narrow his eyes in annoyance.

Kudo looked up at him, thinking back on what Hakuba had just said. "What word do you use?"

"Where the name is concerned, it isn't that big of a deal. If you really want to know, we can use the general term now-a-days." Hakuba eyes Hattori and me, purposely trying to keep us in the dark. "You must have picked that one up out of a really old book. In addition, I'm surprised you know exactly what species Watson is."

"Now wait just a minute! I have no idea what yer talkin' about!"

Kudo's phone suddenly rang, interrupting our conversation. Mine vibrated and showed that I had missed a call. The number wasn't familiar.

"Ran-neechan, what is it?" I couldn't make out what she said to him. "Yes, they're both here." Kudo's eyes lowered and he smiled. "I'll tell them. If you want, you can tell her to come over here. I'm sure Hakase wouldn't mind if he were awake." Ran made some parting comment and he hung up the phone.

"Kuroba-kun," he looked at me, the smile now bright as if he were in on some inside joke aimed at me. "You've been missing a lot of school. Your girlfriend isn't too happy about that; it looks like she tracked you down."

"My what? Wait…" I could only presume that he was referring to Aoko. "She's not my girlfriend."

Hattori started laughing and looked between me and Kudo. "It looks like yer all in denial if ya ask me."

"I hope you're counting yourself in the denial pit as well," Kudo shot back.

"What are ya talkin' about? Me an' Kazuha are just friends."

"Right." Kudo sighed. "Let's drop this conversation all together." The small detective turned back to me. "She's coming over since Ran couldn't get her to go back home."

"That's fine," Hakuba chimed in before I could say anything. "She can come with us."

"With us where?" I asked again, not expecting to get an answer this time either.

"Just a little further out from where we are now. I don't want to get caught up by all the tourist spots, but if you go further back into the forest it's pretty quiet."

"Were goin' ta a forest? That doesn't sound like fun." Hattori crossed his arms and slouched deeper into the couch. "Maybe I _won't_ go."

"But Hattori, Hakuba-kun-" Kudo was cut off when Hakuba placed a hand on his head.

"Don't tell him. If Hattori-kun doesn't want to come along, then he has every right to refuse my invitation."

Kudo just shrugged it off while Hattori eyed him. Whatever it was, he didn't understand that it was going over my head as well. Hakuba wanting to be alone with us in a forest seemed strange for the detective, and he'd even invited Aoko along.

"Well, I think we should bring some snacks incase today isn't a good day. He's good at what he does though, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Conan-kun, the kitchen isn't mine so I don't feel comfortable looking for rations for our trip."

"I'll get everything together." Kudo smiled, looking forward to whatever it was that we were going to be doing. "You could come with me to get the stuff I can't reach."

"Of course."

Both of them left the room and Hattori looked at me for answers. I sat down next to him and shrugged.

"I have no idea what they're talking about either." I eyed the professor's computer and shoved my hands in my pockets. "I don't think he'd like me touching his things, so I guess we'll both have to remain in the dark for now."

Hattori looked up at the ceiling and thought aloud. "What was that word he used?"

"Word?"

"Yeah, that word Kudo called him. I can't seem ta remember what it was."

"Austringer." It came to me without hesitation, even though I had only heard it once and hadn't been trying to remember it.

"Yeah, that was it!" Hattori closed his eyes. "Aus-stringer… aus doesn't mean anythin' ta me… Stringer. That would be part of a group or somethin' along those lines."

"Hakuba said that they didn't use the word anymore so analyzing it is pointless," I pointed out to him.

"Yeah, but it would give me some clue. _Species._ Him and Kudo were talkin' about a species. Does he have any pets or somethin'?"

"I don't know. I've only been to the guy's house once, and it wasn't a very social visit. It never interested me whether or not he had any animals running around, unless they were dogs. Not that I couldn't handle them if there were, but it does make things considerably easier if there are no dogs around to chase you."

Hattori chuckled a bit at that before turning contemplative once more. "Aus… that's gotta mean something."

"Nothing. It means nothing. I'm not sure where that part of the term came from," Hakuba said with a smile as he and Kudo returned with several small bags. "You won't figure it out from that."

"He's gotten closer than I thought he would," Kudo spoke up. "You only left enough clues to get him that far."

"True, but if he knew what I was talking about, it would ruin the surprise."

"You sound like Kuroba-kun."

I blew off the small detective, but Hakuba didn't take the comment as an insult. In fact, he looked rather pleased to be compared to me.

Before I could ask when Hakuba decided to started changing personalities on me, there was a knock at the door. The force of the knocks and how rapid they were informed me that a very angry Aoko was on the other side.

Hakuba was already up, so he went to get the door. I heard her slight surprise when he answered it, clearly because she wasn't expecting him, with black hair and all. Being the gentleman that he was, Hakuba lead Aoko in with all the courtesy the role demanded.

Aoko played nice until she rounded the corner and caught sight of me on the couch.

"Kaito!" she hissed between her teeth. She paused, looking at the other two in the room before coming to the conclusion that she was going to go after me anyway. At least there was nothing in reach for her to throw at me.

I put my hands up in a pleading gesture as she stomped towards me. Relaying on old instincts that were ingrained in me even before Kid, I jumped off the couch to reposition myself behind it as a last line of defense.

I never made it to the other side.

I'd once again forgotten about my foot and stepped on it way too fast and with way too much force. I hissed and my arm reached out to catch the table, making me fall on my butt and onto one of Hattori's feet.

"Watch it!" The Osakan yelled at me, offering a hand to help me back up. "Ya know ya shouldn't be doin' stuff like that."

Aoko looked on at us, her anger accompanied by worry at my less than graceful escape. She moved to hover over me and the closeness tempted me to flip her skirt but, considering all the others in the room were teenage boys like me, I didn't do it. That and Aoko would probably kill me afterwards and right now, I didn't have much hope of getting away.

"Kaito, you said you'd come back to school! You promised me."

"Sorry, I really thought I'd be able to." With Hattori's help, I was able to get back up and sit on the couch without putting any weight on my foot at all. Luckily, I hadn't hurt it any worse.

"You're so stupid!" She huffed at me. It took her a minute before she calmed down and sighed. "How'd you managed to hurt yourself by ditching school? You did a crazy trick or some really stupid stunt, didn't you?"

_Ah, she knew me so well._ "Of course I did." I smiled back. "I don't plan on redoing this one ever again though."

"Well, that's good at least. It shows you _can_ learn from your mistakes." Aoko turned back to Hakuba and looked between us. "What's going on?"

_Oops. Knew I forgot something again. What was our cover story?_

"Aoko-kun, why aren't you at school?" Hakuba asked, successfully changing the subject. Aoko looked angry and turned to me.

"If Kaito can ditch school everyday, I don't see why it's such a big deal if I do it once in a while too. Hakuba-kun, you should also be there."

"I'm aware of that, but I'm on a case right now and Kuroba-kun is helping me with it. I'll inform the school when we return, though I don't think that they'll care much since we'll both be able to catch up in our studies."

"Just because you're smart doesn't mean you can leave whenever you want." Aoko sat down next to me with her arms tight at her sides to show her displeasure, leveling another look at me before turning away.

"Aoko-kun, since none of us are attending school today, would you like to spend some time in the countryside with us?" Hakuba smiled and offered his hand to her.

"I thought you were on a case?"

"Yes, but we've run into a dead end for the day and can't do anything until tomorrow. Things being as they are, I thought you'd like to come with us."

"Sure." Aoko smiled back at him, giving me the cold shoulder. I could see that she was still surprised at how he looked, but she was a very accepting person and didn't ask his reasons for changing his appearance. Since Hakuba had said he was on a case, she may have already guessed at why he'd dyed his hair. The contacts weren't any harder to figure out.

Aoko took his hand and got up, gloves still hiding his older injuries. I used the couch and cautiously took a few steps on my foot. It hurt, but it was a small tolerable pain. Hattori looked up from where he was half laying, half sitting and sighed.

"Guess I'm gonna go with ya."

As if on cue, a horn honked outside to signal Baaya's arrival. Hakuba smiled and pointed his finger at each of us as he counted.

"Conan-kun, you're going to have to sit on someone's lap again," he informed the shorter detective kindly. He must have picked up on his discomfort the first time around. "And someone will have to sit upfront with me."

"Why? There should be enough room in the back." I thought about the convertible. Three of us could sit in the back, not counting Conan-kun, with one in the front seat next to the driver.

"There's already someone in one of the back seats, so there won't be enough room."

Hattori had gotten up while we'd been talking and Aoko had moved over closer to Hakuba to get further away from me. Now that things had calmed down between us, she backed off of him a little, which put her closer to Hattori and me. The Osakan backed up even though she was still a good distance away from him.

I went up to him and poked him in the side. Hattori instinctively swatted my hand away and moved further aside so that I could move next to him and a little away from the group.

"What was that for?"

"Why are you acting so weird? Aoko didn't do anything to you," I asked him.

"Oh, ah. It's not that." Hattori looked nervously at her while Aoko met his eyes with a soft smile. The Osakan's nerves seemed to calm down at her expression, but he still didn't get any closer to her.

"What is it?"

Hattori shrugged and looked away from me. "Yer friends ain't exactly been the kind of people who mix well with me."

I raised my eyebrows. The only friends of mine that had been with the Osakan so far were Hakuba and Akako. At the thought of Akako, I laughed.

"You're right. You and my friends don't get along. Aoko's different; she's not like _her_." I only implied Akako's name since I didn't want Aoko to know that the other girl had any involvement in what was going on, even though her part was only minimal.

"Should we get the other two as well?" Hakuba asked when he was reminded that our group had been larger. Hattori and I both looked nervously away from him for different reasons. Hattori obviously didn't want to get anywhere near the witch and, while I was comfortable to an extent around both girls, I didn't want them involving Aoko in this mess.

"It's better if we don't," Kudo spoke up when neither of us had a valid reason to decline without either sounding stupid or selfish. "We're all here already so that will make it easier."

"What about Ran-san? She's close by and we could take her as well."

"Hakuba," I butted in. "I think you're forgetting we already have a space issue with your car. Inviting more people along with us will not make it any more enjoyable."

"I was thinking about taking two cars. The professor still has his here and I've got money that you can use."

"Me?" I looked sideways at Aoko. "Why would I need money for the car?"

"Oh right." Hakuba thought to himself. "I was going to ask Haibara-kun if she wanted to come along as well, but there won't be enough room."

"I don't think…hm." Kudo looked up at him. "She should be up. Do you want me to ask if she'd like to come?"

"If it isn't too much trouble. I wouldn't want to intrude on her."

"Wait, so how are we fitting?"

"She's small enough to sit on someone's lap as well, though I was thinking I'd just leave some of you behind with money for a cab." Hakuba gave me his bankcard, strongly implying that I was to use it for gas money and not actually get a cab. "I'll take the two girls and the others can go with you so that there's enough room."

"And how will I know where to go idiot. You haven't told me."

"Just follow us. It shouldn't be that difficult. We'll wait for you at the station until then, and please," Hakuba pleading was real. "Don't try anything stupid this time."

"How could I?" I whispered to him under my breath. "Aoko's going to be with you. You've practically got my hands tied."

_Wait._

"Hakuba." I dragged the detective close to me since we were all in close quarters and I didn't want to be overheard. "Did it ever cross your mind that your car may have been followed here?"

"Of course it did." The detective looked at me as if I'd insulted him. "I do have my own methods Kuroba-kun. Baaya hasn't been staying at my house, and the car she's driving is different if you'd care to look outside. She's taken the precautions that I've given her so that she's safe. Believe it or not, I am intelligent."

"Sorry, just checking." I shrugged my shoulders and backed off. I should have figured that Hakuba wouldn't put us in danger like that.

"Anyway, Aoko-kun you're going to come with me."

Aoko looked between us questioningly. It seemed like she was going to ask why our group of me, her and Hakuba couldn't go together. However, she settled on shooting me an angry look and following the detective out the door.

Kudo came back upstairs with Haibara in tow.

"So that means we'll be taking the professor's car. I'll leave him a note so that when he wakes up, he's not worried about where it's gone to."

"Right," I sighed. I glanced at Hattori who was already at the door and ready to go, even though he'd been lethargic about it earlier. "Kudo-kun, exactly what is it that we're doing?"

Kudo laughed a little and looked up at us. "Hakuba-kun said that would be cheating, so I'm not going to say."

"You could at least tell _me_ what it is you want me participating in. You were rather vague downstairs." Haibara put on her jacket and looked at him. Even if he hadn't told her, she seemed ready to follow him anyway.

Kudo raised an eyebrow at us and smiled at the girl. "Hakuba-kun is an austringer and we're all going out in the country for a while."

"Sounds like fun. You sure you want me to go with you?" The young girl's smile looked rather sadistic, making my skin crawl at the sight.

"Haibara," Kudo sighed. "It's not like I'm asking you to go to an amusement park or anything. We'll be out in the middle of the wilderness so you can do whatever you want."

"Is this really the best time for this frivolous endeavor?"

"There's no better time." _Oops._ My mouth moved without consulting my brain. Haibara gave me a hard look and I smiled back. It wasn't that the girl scared me in any physical way. It was just that there was something about her that worried me, though I couldn't exactly identify what it was about her that did it.

She didn't say anything further, but walked over to Hattori. Kudo and I shared a confused look before we all went outside to the car.

"Hey!" Hattori yelled when Kudo once again hijacked the front seat. "If ya ain't gonna let me drive, at least sit in back with yer friend!"

"Nope." The small detective didn't add anything further and Hattori had no way of fighting back since Kudo had already locked the door from the inside. The Osakan got in back and closed the door before resting his head on his hands. "Why do I always gotta sit with all the weird girls?"

Haibara shot him one of those evil smiles/glares, but wasn't childish enough to fall into any witty retorts or actions that came so naturally to me.

I drove to the gas station and found Hakuba with his window rolled down and his arm resting against his face in a similar manner to Hattori. I drove around to the other side since I didn't want Aoko to see me and I knew the detective could spot the yellow car without any help on my part.

I filled up half the tank since Hakuba hadn't told me how far we were going and got back in without anyone stopping me, which was lucky considering how I was too young to have a license.

The silver car, clearly a new model but not new enough to warrant stealing, drove in front of us; I followed.

Baaya took some of the more populated roads. I had fun weaving in and out of traffic. I'd even let myself get ahead of their car a few times without directly passing them just to show the detective that I didn't blindly follow orders.

Hattori tied to hide the fact that my driving was once again scaring him, but he didn't conceal it very well. Haibara and Kudo both seemed fine so I let the Osakan be. Driving was just too much fun, especially when there were so many other cars on the road to play around with.

I had to let Baaya get in front of me after a while because I had no idea where we were going, or what direction I was supposed to be heading. Being stuck in the hoard of cars again wasn't fun, but it wasn't overly boring since I was able to mess around a little, weaving back and forth and such. I had a good eye for spotting the cops that passed so we didn't get in trouble for reckless driving.

The packed streets of Tokyo soon lead to long, thin, roads seeming to stretch into the middle of nowhere. We followed these roads for a half-hour until the silver car pulled over. I drove on for a while and parked the professor's car where it wouldn't be seen.

"Why didn't ya just drop us off?"

"Because then Aoko would have wondered where I'd gone to Hattori-kun. Start thinking."

"I know." He sighed, getting out of the car. "I just ain't sure I wanna be here anymore."

"You'll be fine." Kudo grabbed a few of the bags that he'd split with Hakuba and taken out of the house.

We all walked over to the other small group. Baaya must have driven off somewhere since I didn't see her car. Hakuba stood with Aoko and Ran.

"Conan-kun," Ran greeted him, taking the bags out of his hands. "You've been staying at Professor Agasa's for so long I started to miss you."

Kudo blushed, but he hid it by turning his head. Now that Ran was here, he was back to the sudden personality changes. Ran just smiled like she understood more than she should have.

"Let's get going before it gets dark." Hakuba bent down and picked up a black vest of some sort, with a lot of large pockets, that was lying on top of a big pet carrier. Adorning it made him look like a hiker.

I couldn't stop watching the detective. He looked so unlike himself that every time I saw him, my brain had to re-inform me that it was really him. The only thing that remained of the old Hakuba was the way he picked things up with a delicacy that spoke of years of carefulness and caution.

There was a rope with something attached to the end of it and a large glove underneath it that remained on the carrier when he picked it up.

"We don't need to go that far in, but I'd like it if we didn't run across anybody since Watson is slightly temperamental around strangers."

Hattori eyed the equipment and I could see when realization dawned on him. "Oh! Yer a falconer!" The Osakan eyed Kudo hatefully. "Ya could have just told me that."

Kudo shrugged and ignored him.

Haibara didn't. "You didn't know that austringer is another word for a falconer who uses a hawk? It's your own fault then for being so uneducated."

I wasn't about to ask what a falconer was after that.

We walked for a while with everyone walking in front of me as I preferred a space at the back of the group. It was strange and slightly unsettling to have the people from both my normal life and my life as Kid together. I shrugged the feeling off as nerves, but kept an eye on everyone.

It took a while, but there was a clearing in the forest and Hakuba made his way to the center of it with all of us behind him. He put the carrier down and put the glove on his hand before opening it and peering inside.

"Hello Watson," I heard him say to the creature inside, which I had assumed at this point was a hawk.

The bird he brought out was easily over a foot tall and he flapped his wings as the detective brought him into the open air. Hakuba reached into his pocket and pulled out two small silver bells attached to a leather material, which he tied around the large bird's feet.

Watson didn't seem to be bothered by the new shackles as he turned his head to the side in a fluid motion and watched everything around him.

"This is Watson, as you may have guessed," Hakuba spoke to us now as if he was teaching a class. "He is a Northern Goshawk, and I've had him for a little more than a year now since I picked him up in England. Unlike most goshawks, he's rather tame. Surprising since most of the males of his species are aggressive. If you'd like to touch him, you may." Hakuba held out his hand, and the bird, to us.

It was no surprise that Kudo got to the detective first. Hakuba knelt down so that Kudo could reach the bird. Before touching it, Kudo took in its appearance. I could see the white strip above the dark feathers around both his eyes. His dark wings had a few gray fathers mixed in with the black ones. I could also see a few speckles on his white underbelly, and the tip of the bird's curved beak looked like he had dipped it in an inkwell.

Watson tolerated Kudo stroking his feathers.

"He _is_ a boy right?"

"Yes," Hakuba answered. "I know the males are smaller, but I couldn't resist getting one."

Kudo seem satisfied that he'd identified the bird as much as he could. He stood out of the way as Aoko and Ran closed in on him. The bird moved further back on Hakuba's arm when the girls came too close to him, but a few soothing sounds from the detective calmed him down.

Hattori showed no interest in seeing the bird up-close though I caught Haibara staring at it with a smile very unlike the ones I'd seen from her so far. Ran and Aoko backed off and I picked up the much smaller girl before she realized what I was doing.

"Hey! Put me down!" She demanded of me. I was able to hold her with only one arm, making sure she didn't jump out with the other. She was a lot lighter than I thought she was.

"Now I can't do that," I smiled teasingly, "If I did, then you wouldn't be able to see Watson even though you want to, right? You shouldn't run away from things like that."

Whatever it was that I had said stopped her struggling. She looked at me as if I'd just used something against her. I merely grinned back.

Hakuba knelt down again when I brought the girl. She took a step back when the aviator was suddenly in her face. It took her a while, but she finally smiled and gently petted the back of his wings.

Hakuba looked up and met my eyes.

"Do you want to pet him too?"

"Sure why not?" I looked at the predatory bird once we both stood back up. It really was a beautiful creature and I'd never been around birds larger, and more dangerous, than doves.

I stroked the side of its wings a few times, which made him bristle up at me before backing up. I recognized the movement as one of anxiety and quickly stopped touching him. Hakuba looked at Watson in confusion then looked back up at me.

"Try petting him again, if you would. I've never seen him react like that before."

"I don't think I want to." I could see the bird was agitated around me and I wasn't going to risk it.

"Are you afraid of him?" Hakuba egged me on.

"Of course not! That doesn't mean I want your bird to bite me!"

"He's never bitten anyone before, and he's been around humans for all his life so he's used to their presence." I could see that Hakuba was curious about Watson's actions, but I wasn't going to be the guinea pig. Then again, right now I looked like I was scared of the creature and that wouldn't do.

"Fine." I put my hand back out slowly and Watson turned to me before backing up and shaking his wings. The threatening signs from the bird made me pause, stopping me from actually touching him.

The bird suddenly flew at me and I put my arms up to instinctively protect my face before falling on the ground. I felt his wings bat against me and his claws as he scratched at one of my arms.

I couldn't tell you how I managed to understand what it wanted from me as I instinctively put my arm out to the side like Hakuba had his. From my angle on the ground, I was able to see the worried detective on one knee on the ground in front of me. Watson landed unbalanced on my arm and I could feel one of his claws cut my skin. He kept his wings out as he tried to stay on the perch and scooted over to the cuff of my sleeve.

"Kuroba-kun, are you alright?" Hakuba asked, watching me worriedly while I cautiously watched the bird.

"I'm fine," I answered automatically as Watson put his beak on my cuff and tried to look up my sleeve. It tickled and I tried not to laugh, afraid that it would cause the bird to hurt me. Considering how big he was, Watson was strangely light. He poked his head back out with one of my dove's feathers in his mouth.

"Oh, that explains it," Hakuba said as he put his arm out for Watson, subtly gesturing the bird to come back to him. The bird followed his master's silent order, immediately flying back over to him with his feathered prize in his beak. "Watson thought you were hiding food from him."

"Tsh, sure he did." I sighed and got back up. "That or you've taught your bird to chase me too."

"There's an idea." Hakuba smiled and turned away from me. "I'm not serious you know, so you can stop looking at me like that." He said over his shoulder.

"I wasn't looking at you like anything!"

"Kaito!" Aoko hit me hard on the back. "Would you be quiet? You yell way too much!"

"Hey I didn't even do anything!"

Kudo laughed at me from somewhere behind me and I scowled at them all.

There was a short whistle from Hakuba and Watson threw his wings out to the side as the detective took his hand and threw it into the air, releasing the bird.

"Why'd you let it go?" Aoko asked him. "What if he doesn't come back?"

"He'll come back, watch." The detective shrugged. "And if he doesn't, then he doesn't. You never know until you let them fly for the first time without a lead. Although Watson has always come back."

"I still think it's stupid. What's the point of letting it go?" I mumbled. "Why risk it?" Hawks aren't like pigeons or doves. They had their own agenda and you could tell that just by looking at Watson.

"Kuroba-kun, it's a wild bird. It's unfair enough to keep it locked in a cage. Watson and I have been partners since he was born. Granted, I was so afraid to let him go the first time. Now it's different because we trust each other."

"But what happens if you always let him go with no way to get him back?" I rolled my eyes. "What if he hadn't come back the first time you let him go?"

"Then he wouldn't have come back. You've always got to try. If you never let them out of the cage, how can you expect to work with them? Watson does his part and I do mine when he needs me to." His smile was wide and his eyes were observant as he watched where the bird dropped down into the trees. "Just wait and see."

* * *

Sorry, forgot to put this in.

As for the reason that Kaito supossedly never met Watson, I have my own opinion on the matter.  
It's true that Kaito was pretending to be Kogoro on a case and that Watson was also involved. The only thing is,  
as far as I know, you never see the two of them together.  
I'm sure Kaito had other important things to do at the time and I thought it was more then likely that he  
never saw Watson becuse you don't see the bird again until Hakuba mentions his name to the smoking  
guy at the end (I've forgotten his name 0_0), clearly avoiding Kaito.

If there are others out there you think differenlty, sorry. :)


	28. Attributes of a Hunter

Sorry this took so long. I only had a beta reader for half of it, so if there are any mistakes, please let me know.  
Thank you.

Author's Note: Anything about Falconry _could_ be wrong. I think I've said this before. Everything about the rabbits though (for the  
most part) is authentic.  
And, for the record, I have no idea what rabbit tastes like.

* * *

**_Chapter 28: Attributes of a Hunter_**

"I don't usually do it this way," Hakuba admitted as he walked along the line of trees. "He doesn't need me with him and too many of us will mess with his senses, but he's not going after anything in the air like he usually does when I'm not with him."

"Then ya shouldn't have brought so many of us. If ya want to go out with yer bird, go 'head. Yer supposed to do it that way anyway."

Hakuba looked at him darkly before continuing to walk along the trees.

The rest of us sat where we were for a while. The sun was nice, offsetting the cold weather enough that we were all comfortable. The grass wasn't hard, it cushioned the ground enough that I was able to comfortably lie down and watch the sky.

Over the next hour, I spent my time looking up at the sky and hearing the bells attached to Watson's feet ringing. Hakuba looked up in the direction the bells rang every time, but never made a move until there was a bell that rang slightly longer than the others.

The detective quickly darted off into the woods. Kudo seemed to be waiting for this because he immediately went after him as well. Hattori shook his head at this before going back to a conversation he was having with Aoko and Ran about the places they'd traveled to in Japan.

I thought about it for a moment before getting up to follow after the detectives.

"I don't think you want to go with them," Haibara spoke up from where she was leaning up against a tree. "You won't like it."

I wanted to ask her what she meant, but I'd lose the other two in the woods if I didn't go now. I spared her a second glance before dashing into the forest, weaving between the trees.

It was hard to catch up with Hakuba since I wasn't used to having to run through a forested area. The logs and bushes were easy enough to get around, but the branches that I could only half see broke against my legs more than once. Since it was cold, all my clothing was durable so it didn't really bother me, it just made my passage really loud and the thief inside me that depended on stealth didn't like that.

How Kudo had stayed with the detective on such short legs was surprising. I was able to keep up enough that they were always just within sight, but never any closer than that.

Suddenly, I noticed Kudo stopping, although Hakuba kept going, continuing to walk foreward.

I kept running, only stopping to watch beside the small detective, who was standing off to the side and quietly watching Hakuba.

Watson, being the large bird that he was, had a brown rabbit caught in his claws. The small mammal was still breathing, but in shock. I could see the blood where the bird had gotten it with his talons.

It was nothing I hadn't seen on a nature channel. However, Hakuba with a knife in his hand was a new sight.

It was a small switchblade with a dark brown handle. The blade had a flawless shine to it, which showed that it had been recently sharpened. The detective crept over to the two creatures, whispering small sounds that I couldn't make out.

The bird looked up; its orange eyes almost a deep shade of red. It watched the detective as he drew in closer. Hakuba whistled and the bird released its catch, flying to a nearby perch where it continued to watch on.

Hakuba took the startled creature, immediately cut into its throat and hitting my ears with a very sickening sound. The blood ran down the small knife and the detective kept hold until he was sure the rabbit was dead.

Once done, Hakuba took the knife and cut into the animals flank, taking a chunk out of its side, causing more blood to spill onto its fur.

I had to look away.

I swallowed and looked into the trees behind us instead of the bloody mess in front of us. The detective let out a sharp whistle and I heard something be thrown onto the ground.

Yuck, I did _not_ want to think about what that something was.

"Kuroba-kun," I heard Hakuba call to me. I glanced over my shoulder, but didn't turn far enough to give the corner of my eye any distinction on the matter at hand. "What is it that you find so disturbing that you can't even look at me?"

"Nothing, it's just kind of gross."

"Never had rabbit before have you?" I could hear a smile in his voice.

"Why the heck would I eat a rabbit?"

"It's really not that bad," Kudo informed me from my side. "It tastes like chicken."

"Are you done mutilating it?" I asked Hakuba, trying not to think about how the four legged mammal could taste like poultry.

"Yes, I just needed to give Watson his share."

I turned back to the detective just as he was stabbing the knife into the ground to get the blood off of it. At some point the rabbit had lost his head, as well as the piece of his side. There was very little blood dripping from the headless creature, as Hakuba picked it up by its hind feet, compared to how much of its body was missing.

"Well, you don't have to eat it if you don't want to."

"In that case, thanks but no thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I rather not eat a fellow stagehand." I watched for a while as the animal dangled from his hand; I could smell its odor. I didn't know if it smelled so strongly because it was dead, or because it was a wild animal and thus, naturally carried around the repelling aroma.

"Let's see if we can get another one before we go back. With three of us, it shouldn't bother the wildlife as much as a whole group." Before Hakuba started walking again, he held out the dead animal to Kudo. "Do you mind carrying it for a while? I think Kuroba would throw it back at me if I tried to get him to touch it."

Kudo shook his head. "I don't mind." With all I'd seen and heard about the smaller detective's ventures, I was certain he felt more comfortable holding the rabbit carcass than examining a human one. Than again, he was more used to the latter so I couldn't say for sure

_And I would have thrown it back at you. _I thought to myself. _I do not – will not – carry around a dead animal. Gross._

Hakuba stood underneath Watson, putting his arm out to recall the bird. The hawk flew down and moved his body in a liquid motion, leaving behind a feeling of almost careless grace and power.

"Follow me and try not to make too much noise, or you'll scare away the game."

"Good," I muttered.

"Kuroba-kun, you can go back if you want. I'm not asking you to come with us." When he looked back at me, there was a new gleam of concentration in his eyes. It was notably different than when he was chasing me or putting together clues; there was a new solidity and boldness there that held none of his usual smug tones.

The fact that his dark hair and light skin matched his bird's made him appear to be Watson's human counterpart. Which he was in a sense, given that the detective was just as much a hunter as the hawk.

He was a predator in these settings.

And the strange thing was, he'd never looked at me like that.

Not that I was jealous, mind you. It was just that Hakuba clearly showed his feelings towards his prey when he'd killed it. He'd done it quick and painlessly with all the delicacy he possessed, showing his care for the small animal even as it died. He never looked at me like I was prey.

Good thing to because I never want to be become his prey – Hakuba looked scary.

"Just get going," I said as I pushed the detective forward. It felt funny to see him acting this way because I was used to the impression of sauntering and well-bred wealth that usually hung around him. It wasn't that I didn't like seeing the detective this way, it was just different.

Hakuba shrugged and made his way forward. Kudo had smaller feet so he was able to avoid most of the noise-making twigs and brambles. Unfortunately, I still had trouble with that aspect, what with my injuries and all. Thus, I was ashamed when my footsteps came away louder than both of theirs together. Normally, I was the most quiet of us three.

The hawk looked aimlessly around the forest as we kept walking further and further in. I wanted to ask how much longer we were going to keep walking because if we went any farther, we weren't going to be able to find the group again. However, I didn't because I didn't want to break the hushed silence. Therefore, I just had to trust the detectives to know what they were doing.

When we came to a brushy area, Hakuba raised his hand and Watson flew off to roost on one of the lower branches. Once he was on the branch, he began scanning the ground for possible prey. The detective put a hand up and looked at us, effectively telling us to stay put. He lowered his arm and looked towards a larger area where the grass was long and several fallen logs and sticks lay.

He went from completely quiet to trying to make as much noise as possible in seconds. Why it was we had to stay still and quiet, I didn't know. He walked right up to fallen trees and kicked them, spreading his feet out and knocking aside as much grass as he could.

There was a sudden movement, and something darted out in front of the detective and away from us. Watson spread his wings, but didn't fly after whatever the detective had flushed out. A splash of white caught my eye as the creature was stupid enough to come back the way it had just come.

Watson was waiting for this as he dived down on the rabbit before it could return to the thicket. The rabbit tried to get away, but the larger bird's talons dug into its back and around its neck and front paw.

The detective didn't waste any time getting to them. He immediately had the bird off with a sharp whistle and another fuzzy creature once again in his hands.

"Hm, an albino," he whispered to himself before taking the switchblade out of one of his pockets. Because this cottontail rabbit was white, it was easier and more disturbing to see the blood run over it when Hakuba cut its throat. The red eyes and rushing liquid stood out clearly against its pale features. It was a miracle that it had lived as long as it had with its odd coloring. I knew from school and nature shows that not many albinos survived in the wild because they couldn't blend in with their environment and were thus easily spotted by predators.

I watched this time as Hakuba repositioned the knife and used his full weight to cut through the bone in the animal's throat. He discarded the head into the brush and again cut off a piece of its hind leg for the hawk.

"That is really disturbing," I told him frankly after he'd cleaned off the knife and took the other rabbit from Kudo.

"It's an acquired practice. You get used to it after the first few times," He admitted. "When I first started hunting, I wasn't too keen on the idea either. It's a shame if you let the animal's death go to waste. And if I'd let Watson finish it off, he wouldn't serve me as a good partner any longer. It's a must if I wanted to keep him."

"I couldn't do it. I prefer my doves; they only eat seeds."

"Doves have their own attributes. They far outshine Watson in social behavior, but I prefer him."

Hakuba held out his hand and the hawk obediently landed back on the glove. He did so for his own merit though; you could tell he'd fly off the minute Hakuba displeased him. It was clear the hawk and my doves were very different. I had a few of my favorites that would nuzzle up to my face and sing with me, Watson looked like he'd rather eat me.

"Well, let's go back. I don't think some of our guests will be eating the rabbits," Hakuba smiled broadly at me "So two should be fine."

"You couldn't pay me enough," I answered in response. I wasn't going to be eating those little furry creatures. Although, given the choice between that and fish, I'd take the rabbit in a heartbeat. Luckily, I didn't have to make that decision. And hopefully, I never will.

Hakuba shrugged and made his way back through the forest. His internal compass and mine must have been just a few degrees off, since I thought we were heading too far to the left.

As it turned out, Hakuba was the better navigator. He emerged dead center in the clearing and the other four turned when they heard our footsteps.

Kudo had been picking up solid looking dry sticks along the way, putting them off to the side of the three, who were in the middle of the field, before holding an outstretched hand towards Hakuba.

"Thank you, Conan-kun." Hakuba dug into one of his pockets, taking out a small shovel. "I appreciate the help."

"I've done it before," he said in response to Hakuba's inquisitive look.

"How'd you get the rabbits?" Ran asked. She looked up at him with none of the disgust I had at the headless creatures. Aoko's look, on the other hand, closely matched mine, which was the only reason I didn't feel like the world was going crazy.

"Watson," he answered her. I mentally shuddered as Ran actually took the creatures from him when he handed them to her. He went over to the carrier to put the hawk away. "He's been trained to hunt with me."

"That's cool. I wish I could have joined you, but you guys took off so fast, I wasn't ready for it."

_She **wanted** to come with us. _I was really losing my long-held impressions on women, mostly thanks to Aoko's temper, Akako's creepiness, and Ran's indifference to things that would make any other girl scream.

The detective came back and took both creatures before laying them on the ground. "Do you want to know how to prepare them?"

Aoko looked on nervously, but Hattori and Ran drew in closer to watch. Hakuba took the knife back out and held the brown one's back foot. "After you take the head off, you take the feet and cut through the bone above the knee joint." Hakuba proceeded to do just that. I cringe outwardly when the bone snapped. Aoko mirrored my reaction, but everyone else seemed fine.

The detective then did the same thing to all the other legs on both creatures. I had to walk away as the snapping of tendon and marrow got to me.

I shivered, leaning up against a tree about ten meters off so I didn't have to see what he did next.

"It's not that disturbing," Haibara said as she walked up to me, away from the others, coming to stand in front of me like some judgmental god. "If cooking a rabbit bothers you this much, then you don't stand a chance against the syndicate. Count yourself lucky and get out while you can."

"Just because it bothers me doesn't mean I can't face my problems when I have to."

"If you say so," she shrugged. "What's wrong with killing and eating a rabbit? You eat cows, birds, and fish as well. They're killed in a similar fashion."

"Not fish," I whispered unintentionally. "And I know that."

"So why does it bother you? Because you can see it? Because you prefer it when your food is locked behind closed doors where you don't have to see the face that goes with it?"

"That's not the problem." I smiled at her. "Are you trying to turn me into a vegetarian or something? No, the reason it's bothering me so much is because I'm not used to it. That and the fact that Hakuba's the one who killed them," I shrugged. "I'm used to the detective keeping stuff like this to himself."

Having turned around to look at Haibara, I could see as Hakuba used his hands to skin the rabbits without the knife. Underneath the fur, it was impossible to tell which rabbit was born normally and which one was born to live a harder life. They were both just pink and bloody.

He did bring out the knife after they were skinned. I knew he was cutting into them, but I couldn't see exactly what he was doing from my viewpoint.

"Are you going to eat any?" I asked her just to keep up the conversation.

"Yes, if it's good. Sometimes rabbit meat is too tough."

"Why is it that everybody here has eaten a rabbit before?" I sighed. "I didn't know it was so popular."

"Kudo-kun caught one when we were camping once. It was the first time I tried it." She narrowed her eyes, that sadistic smile crossing her face again. "Trust me on this; with Kudo-kun's face, it was more disturbing to see _him_ cutting open the rabbit."

"I would have to guess it would be." I let myself slide down the tree so that I was level with her. "So why do you always have to act so negatively whenever I ask you anything?"

"I don't act negatively. You're just overly optimistic while I'm naturally a pessimist so the distinction between the two warring personalities is more obvious."

"What a speculative answer," I replied, randomly flicking some of her hair. "Care to try again?"

"What do you mean? I've already answered your question, which is more than I can say you've done for me. I would appreciate it if your less than advanced linguistic skills didn't assault my ears any longer."

"Hey now," I reached out and grabbed her when she tried to walk away. I had nowhere to put her so she ended up falling into my lap. I crossed my legs to make it less uncomfortable. "I didn't say that you act like a cynical old witch now did I. So keep your insults to yourself."

"Release me, you weirdo." She struggled. but her body was small and by keeping hold of both of her wrists, I was able to hold her back.

"Now I'm a weirdo am I? You insult my speech and then have the gal to have at it at my personality. I'm hurt," I said sarcastically. I lifted her by the wrists to turn her around and face me. In that position, she could have kicked me in the face if she wanted and our eyes met when the idea crossed both of our minds. Luckily for me though, she didn't act on it.

"Now that I've got your attention," I stated, sitting her on my crossed feet so that she was high enough off the ground. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Kuroba Kaito." I handed her a light pink rose out of a cloud of smoke and confetti. "Or Kaitou Kid, whichever you would prefer."

She took the rose and looked at me with a crude smile. "I'm sure you have the ladies falling all over you." She spun the flower around instead of dropping it like I originally expected her to and looked me in the eyes. "Haibara Ai." The smile carried over and she added, "Or you can just call me Sherry."

The implications were all there as I put two and two together in a heartbeat. All the other random facts and strange actions from her melded in, completing my mental assessment of her.

"Well Ai-chan, it's nice to meet you." My smile was real as I showed off all the charm I could to try and get my sentiments across to her. She was one of those murderers, crime lords, or whatever term best fit the mysterious group that I still knew next to nothing about – stress on the word was – and I had to bet that she'd seen more than her fair share of horrors. Yet she seemed to use her old identity as a way to get to me, expecting me to turn away from her. I had to sympathize.

The surprise look on her face was the only proof I needed to prove my point. I could see it in her expression even as she tried to hide it.

"Don't you want to know why I'm here? What I've done? Who I am?" she asked in succession.

"I'm not a detective," I replied. "I don't need all the answers. I see you and, from what little time I've spent in your company, I have an idea of you. I don't need to know what happened in your past to trust you."

"You really are a weirdo." Ai smiled, with no wicked implications in it this time.

"Why thank you, I do love it when people complement me." I smiled back and searched my pockets, trying to keep her balanced while I did so.

"Why'd you give me a pink rose? I thought it should be red."

"Red doesn't suit you," I answered instantly, without any thought. "When I saw you, I immediately thought a subtle pink was best."

"You're wrong. It should have been black." She continued to twirl the flower, her smile now sad and pained. I didn't like smiles like that.

"Nope!" I declared. "I'm never wrong. One of the few things that comes with being a good Phantom thief, you tend to know people from just one glance." I found what I had been looking for; I took out a small red box with velvet lining and an imitation gold rim.

"Here, hold this," I told her and handed her the small red box. "It's empty right?"

Ai's smile lightened as she inspected it. "Yes, it's empty."

"Here," I dug the key for it out of another pocket and rolled up my sleeves to show I wasn't going to use them. "I want you to lock it and make sure it's closed."

She took the key and did as I instructed. Going above and beyond, she even checked the box for any hidden doors or panels. She then took the key and used it to make sure you had to put it all the way in to unlock it.

"Ok, so it's locked and in your possession." I palmed a small plastic heart in my hand. "Now I'm love sick and I don't want my girlfriend to cheat on me so I'm going to put my heart in the box so no one can steal it. Will you open it so that I can put it in?"

Ai played along and opened the box. I handed her the heart to show that there was no way I could do anything to the box. She checked it over and saw that it was just a plastic heart and put it inside before locking it and rechecking the box. I had to give her credit for thoroughness.

"Woe is me though and I've lost the girl of my dreams for she is in love with another man. My heart is broken and yet it still remains in the box for I cannot love anyone after her." I raised my eyebrow to show that Ai should open the box.

She looked at me doubtfully since there was no seam in the heart where it could be broken open and I hadn't touched the box so it was impossible for me to have done anything to it. When she unlocked it the heart was indeed in two pieces, cut in a zigzag pattern.

"Lock it again please," I told her. Ai did and held the box closer to herself this time so that I couldn't do anything to it.

"As time passed though I have come to meet another young girl and she says she loves me. I cannot give her my heart thought since it is locked away and broken." I feigned sadness. "Oh what should I do?" I smirked. "Why I should let my heart become whole again and tell her that I love her, too. The only problem is there is a thief in our mists who has already stolen my heart and mended it for me," I put my hand out. "I would appreciate it if the young lady would return my heart."

Ai gave me a sour looked at the simplicity of the trick and went to reopen the box again before I put my hand on top of hers to stop her.

"Ah, but I said my heart has been stolen. It is no longer in the box."

She pushed my hand away and watched my fingers, every movement I made, before opening it anyways. The box was indeed empty.

"So now what?" Ai closed the box and handed it and the key over to me. "That was it?"

"Well I would need the thief to return my heart first so that I may give it away," I smiled.

"And where exactly would it be? You're the only thief I see here."

"But it was you who has stolen and mended my heart. I believe you put in the inner right pocket of your coat."

This time she looked at me with full out doubt since there was no way I could have put it there without groping her. Ai watched me closely as she unzipped her jacket and reached into her inner pocket.

Almost numbly she handed the heart back to me and I waved it in front of her before having it vanish.

"Thank you for returning it."

Where Kudo would have been examining every movement I had made, his callousness did not fall on her. She smiled with honest to goodness happiness that I was able to pull of something like that in front of her, even as she tried to figure it out.

"I have to admit you have some good attributes as well and you're rather talented." She picked up the rose where she'd laid it down at her side. "You shouldn't risk so much for so little reward. You'd have a great future if you just let everything be." That sad smile was back on her face and I lifted her up to take her back to the others. Hakuba was done doing whatever mutilation he needed and the rabbit parts were cut up and cooking over a small fire pit that Kudo must have dug.

"It wouldn't be any kind of future I would look forward to if the ones I cared about weren't in it."

I put her down in front of me as we came upon where everyone was sitting. Before she had a chance to say anything back I added, nonchalantly, "Would you also do me a favor? I'm not ready to give my heart away to the one I love just yet so could you get it out of her left jacket pocket for me?"

That successfully derailed her train of thought and she looked over at Aoko.

"You couldn't have possibly done that. We just got over here, you've been holding me, and she's at the other side of the fire."

"So you won't get it back for me than? Oh well. Aoko!" I yelled over to her as I sat down. She looked up at me with a face that had clearly forgotten she was angry at me. "Can I have the plastic toy in your pocket?"

"There's nothing in my pocket. I just looked because I usually carry a tissue and I couldn't find it."

"Oh this?" I lifted the white handkerchief over to her, standing so I wouldn't burn it. "Sorry."

"Kaito keep you hands off my things!" She yelled, stuffing the cloth back in her pocket and looking up in surprise. Aoko took out the little red heart and threw it to me. "That's strange, that wasn't in there a minute ago."

I pocketed the heart and winked at Ai as she looked more than a little startled. She hid the expression quickly and watched the fire.

"Kuroba-kun if you done stealing everyone's possessions would you please return my watch as well?" Hakuba asked from next to me while he continued to cook what was left of the rabbits in a small black pan.

"Aw, but I like your watch. It's so tacky it can go in my box of things that used to be popular in the fifties." I took the chain watched out of another pocket and handed it over to him. "When did you notice it was gone?"

"I checked when Aoko said she was missing her handkerchief a few minutes ago and I knew I didn't lose it. I'm still cooking so I couldn't very well go and get it from you until you came over here."

"Um," Hattori mumbled as he felt around his neck. "Ya took my charm too didn't ya?"

"Oh yeah!" I had to dig in one of my inside pockets for that one. "I took it a while ago when you took my frequency device. I wanted to get back at you." I smiled. "Sorry about that. I forgot I had it." I handed over the string pouch and he put it back around his neck, underneath his shirt.

"It's no big deal. Kazuha would've killed me if I lost it."

"Why did you have everyone's things?" Ran asked from my left side. Aoko sighed from the girl's other side and answered for me.

"Kaito's just like that. One time when we were little I brought my favorite toy to school with me and Kaito kept making it appear on the teacher's desk. I had to get up like twenty times to keep getting it back. How he pulled it off is beyond me."

"That was easy." I smiled, thinking back on it. It had been fun trying to find where Aoko hid that small plush Dalmatian to keep it out of my hands. For her part some of her hiding spots had been creative. "If I recall you wouldn't talk to me for a week after that."

"I liked that toy and I did _not_ like having to interrupt class and get it every five minutes!"

I shrugged. "It was good practice. I wasn't able to make larger things disappear until a year after that."

Aoko started to bring up bad memories. It was within that week that my dad had died – no, that my dad was killed. Aoko's devote silence only lasted three days.

A sudden attack by her distracted me as she reached over Ran and shoved me hard enough to make me fall backwards. She got up and walked around the other girl to stand over me and glare downward. "That does not mean people like it when you take their things Kaito."

"Yeah, sorry Aoko" I smirked. She knew what I'd been thinking about. It was just like her to try and get my mind away from such memories. "Too bad your not wearing a skirt today, the view from down her would have been perfect."

"Kaito!" She kicked some of the mud at me. Because we were in a forest the ground was loose and it rained down in my hair on my face.

I got up quickly and spit out the pieces that fell in my mouth.

"Hey what was that for?" I yelled at her.

She looked at me angry before stomping back over to her spot. "For having such a dirty mind."

Aoko sat back down next to Ran and the other girl looked at me with slight disgust. Apparently me being myself was an acquired taste since she didn't have a problem with me before now.

I scratched my hair to try and get the dirt out and muttered under my breath at the unfairness of it all. When all the particles were gone I looked back up and smiled at Aoko, even though she wasn't looking at me.

"You two are very strange." Hakuba took the pan off and the rabbit pieces were surrounded but onions and several types of seasoning I hadn't seen him add. The detective smiled at both of us as we threw him offending glances. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing."

"I'm nothing like him!" Aoko blushed. "I'm normal, he's the strange one!"

_Whoa, déjà vu setting in. I was not going to have a conversation like I had with Hisa. _

"Yeah, how could you compare me to this spastic girl who's more likely to win a screaming contest then a beauty pageant?"

"Kaito that's mean!" Aoko yelled at me. After insulting her I always remedied the situation in some small form. It was just the way things went.

"No it's not! The girls at those kinds of contests are way too stuck up. I like you better when you're yelling than if you got dressed up to please a bunch of people you never met before."

"You're the only one who's ever gotten me in a dress!" She crossed her arms but couldn't hide her embarrassment from me. "Even in the middle of winter!"

_The ski trip. _She did look really pretty in that dress. For all her tomboyish charm Aoko had a very feminine side as well, even if she didn't like to show it. I smiled at her and laughed.

"Let's keep it that way."

"I don't think I want to know" Hakuba said as he shook his head and Kudo got out some small plates to serve the rabbit. For his part the, detective pulled off making the rabbit look very un-rabbit like. I wouldn't admit it to him but it smelled good too.

"Kuroba-kun?"

"What?"

The minute I opened my mouth and faced him Hakuba shoved a piece of meat in it. My instincts were to spit it out but he held his hand in front of my mouth.

"You could at least taste it."

It was very disturbing to have a piece of one of the rabbits I'd just seen in my mouth. It was impossible to ignore the strange taste of the meat. I took the detective's hand and removed it forcefully with a scowl. I could have spit it out then. I thought about it for a second.

I chewed it, not thinking about what it was. _Well, trying to not think about what it was._ It was harder to chew than chicken and had a distinct sweetness and strong flavor to it that the bird meat did not have. I didn't hate it but I definitely didn't like it. I swallowed it anyway and faced Hakuba.

"Are you happy now? That was gross."

He shrugged. "At least you tried it."

Aoko went up to him too. "Can I try it?"

"Sure." He scooped up a piece of the meat and held out the spatula to her. "If you don't like it there are some snacks too."

Aoko picked it up with her hands and put it in her mouth without provocation. After the first piece she smiled.

"It's pretty good."

"Here you go nee-chan!" Kudo said with a cheerful voice as he held out one of the plates to her. He took another one and walked it over to Ran.

I didn't take long for everyone to have a plate and start eating. I stole a bag of chips and made myself comfortable watching the sky again. The sun was high in the sky, since it was somewhere around two by now, so I took out a hat from my jacket to shade my eyes.

"Kaito you're such a baby" Aoko said from a few feet away. "It tastes good!"

"Whatever" I mumbled, eating some more chips. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good and I didn't like it, not because it was a poor, defenseless bunny rabbit, just because I didn't.

Hakuba went back over to Watson's cage and looked over at me when he was finished. "Do you want to go back out? Whatever Watson catches now will be his so you don't have any reason not to."

"I'm going. I don't want to sit here and smell this anymore."

"Baby!" Aoko yelled at me again. I let her get away with it.

Hattori didn't want to be with Hakuba so he stayed behind. Ran didn't want to leave him alone so she didn't leave either and Aoko was mad at me so was adamantly trying to avoid any contact to prove her point.

In the end it was Hakuba, Kudo and me back in the forest.

The bird stayed preached on the detective's arm as we waded back through the trees.

"Why didn't you just let him go when we were in the clearing?" I asked him.

"Because if I had done that then Watson would have had free roam of the forest and we would have to wait hours for him to come back."

I sighed and followed along. The smell of the food made me hungry but the images and remembered taste was enough to throw off most of my appetite. I was _still_ very hungry and the chips didn't appease my stomach as much as I thought they would. I'd scavenge around the other bags when we got back to see what else the detectives took from the professor's kitchen. From what I saw of it earlier it couldn't have been much. All the good, fat inducing food seemed to be oddly missing from the larger man's kitchen.

"Whoever comes back with me is going to have to wait while I get some fast-food" I declared so that Kudo would be prepared.

"I figured."

I didn't know how else to continue the conversation. I was out of less serious material and I wasn't about to bring up anything when the situation was more relaxed than I thought it could ever be without any secrets between me and my pursuers.

It felt rather nice.

"Kuroba-kun what are you smiling about?"

"What are you taking about detective?" I made my smile into a grin. "Can't I just be happy?"

"When you're happy it tends to be less fortunate for those around you."

"Quit being so suspicious."

I lightly pushed Hakuba on the back and Watson flapped his wings when the detective moved to catch himself. Hakuba glared at me before turning to walk forward again.

We walked for a while with no particular destination in mind, it was just nice to walk in the forest. In the trees the sun was shaded but it still made the weather comfortably warm. We were all in shape and young and restless which only made us walk further.

Hakuba stopped at a new clearing that was smaller, at around ten meters by ten meters.

"This should be fine." Hakuba lifted his arm and the hawk flew off.

I heard a sharp indistinct sound from off to the right and turned to face it. I turned back to Hakuba in less then a second when he let out a soft cry of pain and drew his arm close to himself. I thought the bird's claws had nicked him as it took off but there was too much blood. It wasn't a lot but the bird _could not_ make that kind of wound.

Instantly I moved between the detective and the direction the sound had come from, my back to the former.

"Are you ok?" I asked over my shoulder, scanning the trees.

"It's not life-threatening." He tried to look beyond me as well, still curled in on himself.

"That's not what I asked."

A dark shadow hesitated before moving forward and coming to stop at the tree line. It was a man, somewhere in his forties who was large in both height and girth. He had dark, slicked back hair showing off a receding hairline accompanied by a large dark mustache. There were small laugh lines around the man's eyes which seemed accustomed to smiling rather than the steeling indifference he was showing now. I could have sworn I'd seen him before but very little of my brain power was working on that, it was more focused on the small caliber gun adorned with silencer that he was pointing at us.

"Father?" It was barely audible but I heard the whispered gasp from the detective.

I couldn't hide the surprise in my eyes as they reassessed the man. I'd only caught sight of Hakuba's dad once and I hadn't paid him much mind. I was in an officer's uniform at the time and I was more interested in the new detective than his father, who quickly made his way out of the building after introducing his son to the Inspector. The man looked like he hadn't been sleeping well and he'd lost a significant amount of weight judging by the way his clothes hung on him.

"I'm sorry Saguru but they've taken your mother and her sister. They've threatened to take more and I have no way of protecting them. This is the only way."


	29. Twin Reflections

**WARNING: **The story gets a lot more violent from this point on. Thus the rating of Teen from the start.  
Please review :)

Seriously, please review. Everyone is starting to stop :(  
COME ON! I MADE IT EXCITING NOW!

* * *

_**Chapter 29: **__**Twin Reflections**_

"No need to shoot anybody." I spread my hands out, still protective of Hakuba. "Well, no need to shoot anybody _again_."

My easy manner and laughable speech was enough to diffuse the tension that hung in the air. Hakuba's father, whose name was escaping me since I'd had no reason to learn it, loosened his grip on the firearm but his carefulness showed years of familiarity with the weapon, so it didn't mean much.

"Now what exactly is going on? Someone's been kidnapped you say?"

The comment was thrown out easily but I didn't let the gravity of the situation completely escape my question. The older man eyed me suspiciously before looking behind me at his son. I couldn't see Hakuba's reaction to anything besides his initial outburst of his father's identification.

"I was ordered to kill anyone that he was with so you should get out of here and count your blessing. It's believable that I found him alone in the forest. Saguru, you have to come with me."

"Wait, wait, wait." I pushed the detective back with my body as I took a few steps back so that he couldn't make any rash movements that I couldn't prevent. "You didn't answer me. There has to be a peaceful solution to whatever the problem is."

"My ex-wife and her sister were taken. The one who did it left a note with me that they were the ones that originally tried to bribe my family into handing my son over to them. I was smart enough to recognize their intentions and put a stop to it but my hands are tied now. I can't risk my whole family for just his life."

So the organization was going to extraordinary means to track down the detective now that he'd escaped them so many times. I looked down at Kudo who narrowed his eyes and continued to look inconspicuous. I couldn't converse with him out in the open when there was the off chance that someone from the organization was around.

"Are you alone?"

Hakuba's father looked at me strangely. Sure it was odd that I was calmly talking to a man I essentially didn't know – who was pointing a gun at me – and sure I was putting myself in the way of their family problems when I wasn't a part of it, and sure, to make matters more strange, I was acting more like a detective than any of the three actual detectives who were there. Not that I could control any of that.

"Yes, I'm alone. Too many people wouldn't have been good and whoever these kidnappers are have remained out of physical contact. I knew Saguru would be wherever his bird was and I had to wait to get him alone. I didn't think I'd get a better opportunity than now."

"So you were going to shoot your own son?" This man wasn't the type to kill anyone. How he even made a career as a cop was beyond me since he looked so easy going in a normal setting.

"No, I wanted Saguru to know I was serious. I just nicked his arm."

So the organization had Hakuba's family members as ransom for the detective. They were willing to take more as well. I wasn't going to let that happen and I wasn't going to let the man use his son in such a matter that I knew would eat at him for the rest of his life.

"Ok then, if you need to give them Hakuba Saguru, then that's who they'll get." I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a bottle. Jii had come up with the concoction years ago by condensing the chemical agents in bleach and Hydrogen Peroxide. It was terrible on the hair but worked well. I shook the bottle and spread it along the top of my hair and splashed some more in with my fingers before flattening it all down with hair cream. Hakuba was taller than me but they wouldn't know that and it was only a few centimeters. "Let's go."

"Kuroba!" The harsh voice behind me was too loud in my ear and the detective grabbed my shoulder tightly. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to see if I can get you off the hook. I'll have to go home and retrieve the disc first and I'll see where things go from there." I made my voice sound just like the detective, a lilt to it that mirrored Hakuba's English accent perfectly.

"You most certainly are _not_. What is it that you think you can accomplish that I can't? This is my responsibility."

I didn't have to slip out of his hold to bend down and grab Kudo's hand before turning the small detective's watch on Hakuba and hitting the pressurized switch. The dart hit Hakuba in the leg, sliding easily between the fibers in his pants above his knee.

"Ouch, what was that?" It only took seconds for the detective's eyes to start losing focus and I helped him slid to the ground.

"I can't let your father hurt you anymore. It's obviously hurting him too." Hakuba managed to look confused before his eyes closed.

I took his jacket off and put my own around his shoulders so he wouldn't be cold. If I was going to turn myself into the organization as the detective, the smoke bombs and other items wouldn't be of any help; they would only give away my identity. The detective's longer brown jacket clashed terribly with my black and gray clothes but was acceptable enough that it wouldn't stand out. It wasn't like the detective had any fashion sense anyway, if anything, the mismatching clothes helped.

I took my phone and one other item out of one of the pockets so I could make a few calls before everything took a turn for the worst, and twisted to face Kudo.

"Make sure he understands when he wakes up. I'll leave the rest to you Tantei-kun."

"You didn't have to do that." Kudo looked up at me with accusing eyes and I could only shrug.

"If Hakuba was awake he'd only try to dissuade me. If I know one thing about him it's that he's stubborn once he's set his mind on something. Moreover I can't help with any of the planning so I'll try and stay alive until you rescue me." I winked at him, trying to ease my own fear. "I'll be waiting."

I walked over to Hakuba's dad and tipped my head to the side. "Shall we go?" I let my voice take on Hakuba's again. I could pull this off.

The man looked between me and his son who was currently unconscious. Without the detective's serious tone and straightforward manner he looked very young and vulnerable. As an officer, Hakuba's father turned back to me and saw that I was putting myself in danger, but as a father he couldn't find any room to argue with it.

"Sure."

I waved backwards at Kudo and walked with the large man, trusting he knew his way out of the forest.

"Who are you?"

A straightforward question and one I expected him to ask me once we'd started to make our way out.

"A friend."

He nodded at the unelaborated answer and turned away, unable to look me in the eye.

"Thank you."

"It's fine." I flipped open my phone and switched on a small device that my father had made so my call couldn't be traced back to me. I dialed and put my finger up to my mouth so that the detective's father wouldn't say anything while I was on the line.

"Hello?" The voice was agitated and had the rough tones of going too long without water.

"Hello there, Nakamori-keibu. Nice day, isn't it?" From what I knew, Hakuba-san had no reason to be familiar with my voice as Kid. He hadn't stayed for any of my heists long enough to see me.

I could hear Nakamori swear on the other end of the line and I smiled, getting what humor I could out of the situation.

"That's not what I actually called to talk about though. There have been" - I hadn't thought about how to state the hellish circumstances that had been flying around recently–"problems. If you would listen closely to me it could save a lot of lives."

That shut him up and his intensity turned into silent fuming. I laid out basic instructions for him to follow before hanging up. If the man listened to what I said it could certainly help Hakuba and the others. If not, it was worth a try.

When we came to the edge of the forest I took out the other device I had taken out of my jacket and put in the detective's. Small and black and unassuming as it was, I took it and crushed it up in a paper bag before discarding it on the edge of the road. I took a little piece off of it before hand and swallowed it. Hakuba-san watched me with quiet assessment but the sad look in his eyes didn't lessen.

We got to his car which was an older yet dependable model with a newly painted white finish. I let myself into the passenger seat and the man got in his own door. Instead of starting the car he lay his head down on the steering wheel and questioned me under his breath.

"How old are you?"

I could have lied to him but there would have been no point. "I'm almost seventeen in a half."

"Why are you doing this? This is a family situation and I don't mean to sound ungrateful, I just want to know why."

"Doing things this way leaves a chance at more positive outcomes then if I'd let you take your son in." _And I am the only one who knew where the disc is so Hakuba couldn't have gotten it without me anyway._

Hakuba-san stared the car with a morbid expression. I couldn't say anything to reassure him. If the organization was as bad as Kudo hinted, then there was a very possible chance that I wouldn't be seen again. If that happened, then it would happen. I wouldn't go down without a fight.

I had Hakuba's father drive to my house and I dug through my closet to find Hakuba's jacket. The disc was safe in an inner pocket where I hadn't noticed it the first time, kept unbroken in a plastic see-through case. I threw the jacket back into the corner and went outside to rejoin the detective's father. I was happy that mom was still with Jii at the hospital because I couldn't tell her what I was about to do. Couldn't face her right now when she might be losing the only remaining family she has left.

I gave the man a few more directions to follow before taking me in. I had to set things up just right so that my ploy was believable. He followed them without question as atonement for his complacency in allowing me to go through with my plans.

We stopped by a museum, one I'd stolen from in the past so their schedule was still imprinted in my brain. I walked in with the CD, garnering no attention since it was late enough to be afterschool and there were plenty of other teenagers there. Hakuba-san didn't follow me in.

Maintenance was done thoroughly once every month. I could hide the disc and be certain that it would be found in just less than two weeks when the crew came in. I added a simple note, written in Hakuba's handwriting, for anyone who found it.

I went over to the display case I was looking for after viewing a few other exhibits so that it wouldn't look suspicious, one with a rather large amount of gems too small to be of any use to me. I slipped it under near the covering so that it could easily be removed and found by whoever opened the glass display. That done and all the plans that I could make set, I went back out to the car.

Hakuba's father and I sat in silence when I told him there was nothing else I needed to do. The man was kind and it went against every atom in his body to turn me in to these killers when he knew that they wanted his son. It was a father's selfishness.

"I wish there was some other way."

"There isn't, so let's just get this over with." If I was going to put up a fight, I wasn't about to sit in doubt and fear right before that time came. As patient as I was during a heist, none of that mattered when lives were in danger, someone else's or my own. Actions needed to be taken.

"Right." The man flipped through his phone and came to a number. He hit the call button and I was surprised that the organization had given him a way to contact them. It was probably either a pay as you go mobile or stolen, but it still surprised me.

"I've got my son, what do you want me to do now?" He voice was flat and held all the emotional withdrawal that was written across his face.

There was a curt answer and a click as the line was cut. Hakuba-san hung up the phone and started to drive off without a word or glance towards me. I couldn't fault him for it.

The trip took less than half-an-hour and we were in what appeared to be a high-class hotel. We both got out and I let my face display my anger and need for revenge at the people who'd already threatened so many others. If Hakuba were here he'd be feeling the same way.

We went up to the second storey, walking to a hotel room that looked just like any other except for the fact that it wasn't. There was no evil premonition, no darkening of the sky, just simple naked fear in me for what lay on the other side of the door. I kept repeating over and over to myself that I could not let these people kill me. I would not die by their hands. Kid wouldn't die by their hands - _any mercenary's hands_ - ever again.

Hakuba-san walked in with only the briefest pause and a sympatric look in my direction that switched focus before I could meet it. He opened the door and I could see two people in the room. One was the man with the bleached hair who'd been chasing me and the other was a man in his thirties, hair dyed just a few shards darker than Hakuba's natural color and glasses that stood out sharply against his pale face.

"Took you long enough," the man in the glasses said as he got off the bed and strode over to us. On closer inspection I noticed that the skin tone of his hands and face didn't quite match up. I hid the surprise behind my hate and faced the man with steely eyes.

The brunette man lifted my hair and I suppressed the shivers when his fingers drew too close to my neck for comfort. The bleached spots weren't large but it looked like a fast and sloppy dye job in reverse.

"I suppose you cut your hair with a razor or something? You didn't do a very good job."

I knew my hair did take on a funny shape when it was laid flat down. I could pull off Kudo's look with gel but I didn't want to risk it now so I'd used natural means to make it stay flat, still defiantly sticking up in places. The difference in length could be put off to a rushed hair cut as well. "Scissors actually. I'm not very good with them when I don't have a mirror."

The detective's voice and accent were enough to make the person in front of me believe I was him. They let go of my hair, but I didn't let my stance relax like I normally would since I had to keep up the act. Lithe carelessness was _not_one of Hakuba's traits.

"Do you have the disc with you?"

"No." I smiled, not too confidently, but boldly. "I don't."

The attack came fast and I wasn't able to avoid it. The butt of a gun, pulled out of his pocket quickly enough to blur in my vision, struck the side of my head and I fell to one knee as the blow temporarily messed with my senses.

"Stop it!" Hakuba's father walked in front of me to block any follow-up attacks and I couldn't tell if he was doing it because he wanted to keep up the charade or if he really cared about what happened to me. I had to guess it was the latter and it made me feel bad for what they were putting him through.

"Move." I heard as the safety on the gun was clicked off.

"Get out of here dad," I pleaded with the man. I was having a hard enough time protecting myself. Protecting both of us at once against two armed men was going to be next to impossible.

Hakuba-san looked down at me and I gently shook my head to get rid of the annoying aftereffects. The headache would take longer. I meet his eyes after several seconds of this and saw the cool steadiness of an officer that still lingered there, even as the man was getting on in years.

"Go," I said again.

The man's shoulders slumped and he moved from in front of me to slink out the door before the click signaled he was gone.

"My, aren't you noble."

The man with the glasses was back in my face, gun just a few inches from my cheek as he forced me to meet his eyes. Hakuba's were so much lighter than mine that I'd had to risk contacts since blue eyes stood out. "Let's see how long that lasts."

"This isn't the best time. We need that disc." The burlier man stated the facts as clean and emotionless as could be. He didn't seem to mind at all that I was obviously a teenager, and they were both prepared to kill me.

"We can get the location of it later, can't we? It'll be fun to see how far we can push him."

My breathing unintentionally sped up to match my heart and I had to consciously clamp down on it. I wasn't going to show how afraid of them I was. There was a chance now, I could escape if I had to, but everyone would still be in danger and that would accomplish nothing.

There was an intense amount of pain as the man with the light brown took his gun and struck me near my good shoulder, connecting the metal base with my collar bone. It hurt terribly and I couldn't stop crying out in pain. The man smiled as I fell against the wall trying to get away from him.

"Yes this will be fun."

He pulled me up by the hair and, for the third time, struck me with the gun instead of shooting me. I scarcely felt as it connected with back of my neck before I blacked out.

...

I woke up alongside a plaster white wall with my feet half laid out in the floor in front of me and my body held a few inches in the air. All I was aware of was pain.

The position I was in offered me with no location I could move in that would alleviate the stinging in my collar bone or completely get my own weight off my wrists as metal cuffs cut into them. It was done purposely and to cause me as much suffering as it could. The funny thing was they didn't even know they were hurting my other shoulder as well, stretching the skin near the bullet wound.

There were a few things I'd kept on me when I'd left Hakuba with my jacket. A small pin to pick the lock was one of them.

I tried really hard to forget about it. If I got out of the handcuffs now it would leave a lot of questions on how I'd done it. There was no handle or inside lock on the door either so it could only be opened from the outside. As long as I couldn't escape there was no point in freeing myself. I'd just have to deal with the pain.

There was an almost two hour difference from when I woke up to when someone opened the door and looked in on me. I was sure that was done purposely as well.

"Seems you're awake now." A young man strode in, all cockiness and attitude. He couldn't have been twenty and the black outfit he wore didn't accentuate his older features either. He had a small, rounded face and thin arms with raggedly cut black hair that just went over his ears underneath his black hat. The only thing that made him stand out to me was the narrowness of his pupils and the sadistic smile on his lips. The man with the glasses that had knocked me out followed him in, also smiling down at me.

"Do you plan on telling us where the disc is? We can do this the easy way or the hard way." The boy crouched down in front of me as the older man asked the questions.

"I need to know that you've let my mother and aunt go first." My tone was quieter than I wanted but I held up the accent. Apparently I was thirsty and I could guess why since all I'd eaten was potato chips.

"Is that why you didn't bring it?"

"Of course." I smiled, keeping it subdued.

I noticed that there was something sticky near my eye every time I blinked. I could just see something dark colored out of the corner of my right eye and I moved my head slightly to see where I could feel the breeze. The congealed blood started below my hairline and dripped down my face. When he'd hit me with the gun he'd apparently broken through the skin.

The man with the glasses was on the phone and put it up next to me before putting the speaker phone on, staying clear of my feet in case I decided to kick him.

"One of our operatives is with them now but only one and they'll let them go. If you don't cooperate we'll just get them back later."

The phone was quiet for a second before I heard the soft sounds of weeping. There was rush of noise movement as the phone was passed over.

"Saguru?"

The woman sounded hysterical. I smiled and relaxed against tension I didn't know I was holding. Hakuba's family seemed to be alive at least. Some part of me doubted it since they'd come into contact and Kudo had said that the organization didn't let people live after knowing of them.

"Are you alright?" I was tempted to add mother at the end of the sentence but I didn't know if it was his mother. I'd never heard her voice and, if she'd been taken along with her sister, there wouldn't have been much difference in their accents.

"Saguru! I'm fine! Lucy's fine too! Where are you? Are you ok?"

I shook my head slightly. The woman's fear was such a tangible thing and it made me more determined not to let my mom feel that way.

"I'm fine. I need you to get to a police station right now. Any close by will be all right. Let me talk to one of the officers."

I looked up at the man in the glasses and he just shrugged before speaking into the phone himself. "Give the cell back to the man with you for a moment."

"Saguru?" The woman's fear came back.

"It's alright," I reassured her. "Listen to what he says."

The noise of the phone being handed over came back.

"What is it?" The questioning voice was guff. I could tell by the tones that the man was older, someone in his forties.

"Let the ladies have your cell and come back here."

The man followed orders immediately and the woman, who I had to assume was Hakuba's mother, came back on.

"Saguru what's wrong? What's going on? Are you safe?"

"I'm fine." It was an outright lie and the man holding the phone let out a small laugh that the receiver wouldn't pick up on. "Just do as I said and go to the nearest police station."

"Ok." The word came out as a whisper, a pleading noise that said she wanted to believe what I was telling her was true.

It took about ten minutes before they were able to make it to a station. The boy in front of me got bored and started pacing around the room, the other man held perfectly still, keeping his smiling face on me while I hung limply from the wall. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me squirm.

"Saguru we're here" she said at last. The phone was handed over again after a few words between her and one of the officers.

"Hello? This is the Saitama police prefecture headquarters, Kenai-keiji speaking, how can I help you?"

Perfect. They'd be safe there. I listened closely to the call to make sure that the man was who he said he was.

"What's your badge number?"

It was easy to remember the listed codes and files that officers were mandated to have on the job. For Saitama the regions code should always end in a 384 digit.

His recited badge number matched up.

"Is there something I can help you with?" The curiosity was obvious since most people didn't ask him his badge number when calling in for help.

"Yes my mother and her sister are there with you now. We've been having political problems and I would like it if you'd keep them safe until my father is able to arrive."

A good cover story and one that my captors wouldn't find threatening to them.

"Of course."

"Thank you."

The man with the glasses clicked the end button and closed the phone. The sound it made as it snapped shut was plastic and I could see its poor craftsmanship. It was a cheap phone and couldn't be traced back to them.

"Are you satisfied?"

"Yes." I breathed in a relieved sigh and told them exactly where the disc was. There weren't any traps I'd set up, as easy as it would have been, and they'd be able to reach it within the hour.

"You'd better not be lying to me." The man raised his hand and the boy took out a small gun. I could tell he was going to shoot me but I had no way of dodging it.

The bullet tore into my side, purposely missing any important organs but still a grave wound. I screamed but cut it short so my own voice wouldn't be heard.

The boy laughed when I pushed my head against the wall with clenched teeth. _He laughed_. It was wrong and disturbing and almost enough to distract me from the wound.

"If we find out that you've been deceiving us then there'll be much worse to come."

"Ha," I let out through a gasp of breath, panting but not being able to stop. "You weren't… planning on… letting me leave… anyway."

"No," came his answering smile. "But we can do it the easy way or the hard way. If you're telling the truth I'll make sure to kill you quickly."

He leaned over close enough to my ear that I could feel his glasses brush against my cheek every time I took in air. "Too bad your magic friend couldn't save you."

The smell that hit me at such a close proximity made me smile along with the words he spoke. Well, the words _she_ spoke.

"I'm afraid you're wrong." I let a breath to try and get myself to speak in complete sentences. I dropped Hakuba's accent all together and said quietly, so only she could hear me. "I think I've helped… quite a lot."

She backed up as if I'd bitten her. Vermouth attempted to hide the shock in her eyes but it was there and made me smile all the more since the boy wasn't about to piece anything together.

"Why?" She hissed with a man's voice. "Why did you?-" She shook her head. "Never mind. You've dug your own grave."

I dropped my humor and tried to stop panting. The blood flowed down over my side and down my leg where it couldn't stain my black pants. I realized now, sickly, why they had made the room white.

"Give it to me," Vermouth told the young boy. The older teenager looked up with disappointment.

"But you said I could play around this time."

His eagerness to torture people sickened me and it looked like it bothered her as well.

"You're much too greedy. Control yourself and next time I'll let you play around."

"Fine!" He handed over bandages with controlled frustration and left the room.

Vermouth moved to kneel beside me and she unbuttoned my shirt. The bullet wound was on my right side and I could see it clearly flowing now that she'd removed the material.

"This is just so you don't die before we get what we want," she assured me when she placed the gauze on the wound to stop the bleeding. She reached around me to wrap the tape fully around my waist. "I can't help you."

"I wasn't expecting… you to."

I closed my eyes and tried to ignore all the pains that were running through my body. It wasn't as easy as it was to fake wellness as it was when I'd first gotten shot. I was worn down and there to too many injuries to let me focus my attention elsewhere.

Vermouth took something out of her coat pocket and poured it onto a handkerchief. "At least this way you won't have to feel the pain." She put the cloth up to my face and I could smell the chloroform. It was held far enough away from me to let in air so I wouldn't be suffocated.

I watched her, thankful for small favors. If the detectives were able to come up with a plan then that would be great, if not and I was killed, I preferred not to be awake for it.

"Be thankful that I owe Toichi-san a lot."

The comment drew me out of the haze I was falling into.

"What do you mean?" My words were slurred and I continued to breathe in the chemical as I spoke.

"I don't know what the man was to you but you've got the same tricks he had. I'd only figured out he was Kid after he died. The man helped me out when I didn't deserve it and I was happy for a time. Since you're Kid now it was easy enough to guess you were close to him. I never did get to repay him so I'll settle on trying to help you. Don't expect too much."

I nodded, half because I heard that she was trying to help and half because I couldn't understand all of what she said and didn't know what else to do. My eyes closed and the pain had all gone wonderfully numb. I stayed half-awake and half-asleep for a few minutes, peacefully content.


	30. Interlude: What We Lose

_(**Author's Note IMPORTANT! IF YOU DON'T READ YOU WILL BE VERY CONFUSED!~:** _For this chapter and this chapter alone, first person perspective is switched over to Hakuba for the fact that Kaito is not present at the moment and the readers can't see what goes on inside of Hakuba's head while Kaito's locked up.:) )

That is all.  
And thanks go The Jelly Bean Ninja for scaring away my mistakes from this story as well  
and LeonaWriter as well!

PLEASE REVIEW! ESPECIALLY SINCE I WANT TO KNOW IF I DID HAKUBA'S POV ALRIGHT!

* * *

_**Chapter 30: Interlude: What We Lose**_

I woke up in a daze with the bright sky shinning in my eyes.

"What in the world was that?" I took me a second to realize I was unsure of who I was asking answers from. Someone moved next to me and I looked over.

Conan was standing there, cuffing the sleeve on my right arm that was wrapped in bandages peeking out from under the coat. Conan had also taken my gloves off and I could see the light scaring where they had been burned, now that it wasn't hidden. The jacket that I was wearing immediately brought all my thoughts to a standstill.

It was not my coat.

"What happened?" I tried desperately to remember why I was on the ground and hurt.

It all came back to me in startling clarity that I choked on my words, unable to ask anything of the young boy when I wanted to badly to know the answers to at least a dozen questions.

"Where's Kuroba-kun?" I kept my voice calm but I wasn't used to masking it so I didn't think it came out as smooth as it did in my head.

"I don't know. He left with your father about thirty minutes ago. I have to guess that he's meeting up with the syndicate about now."

That was a new word. The younger boy had never referred to the nameless group after my life with that phrasing before but it fit just the same. _Ignore that fact that Kuroba is with them right now_.

"And how do we find him?"

The small boy shook his head and my heart fell. If there was one thing that this kid could do, it was find answers where there were none. Now it looked like Kuroba had jumped into the lion's den without leaving any way from us to follow.

"Alright." The calm facade didn't last long. I couldn't hold in my emotions like that stupid magician could. "Let's start with finding my father then."

"No, we've got to get back to everyone in the forest. We can't leave them out here unless Hattori wants to try driving again."

_An acceptable outcome, _I thought to myself. The Osakan wasn't as bad a driver as I had feared when he'd driven to the Mouri Detective Agency with me. Having two other teens in the cars, girls at that, would scare him though.

I noticed I had clenched my hands and quickly relaxed. The scared tissue didn't hurt but it was better not to test how strong it had grown back.

I got off the ground and started in the direction of the other half of our group. A call to Baaya would be fine in retrieving Watson. He had a locator in him and I'd taught her months ago how to recall him. I made that call as I sprinted back through the forest. I told her to pick up the girls as well.

_What a stupid idea to show myself like that,_ I chided myself for all the good it did me. That idiot was going to be getting it from me when I found him. And I was going to find him. And he was going to be alive.

I was breathing fast when we made it back, as was Conan. I knew his breathing was quickened because he tried to keep up with me and I hadn't been paying any attention to him when I'd taken the path back so it was a miracle he kept up. Mine, on the other hand, I couldn't be sure. I had run further than that before, and in less time, so I knew there was some other reason that I didn't care to look into.

Hattori looked up when we came in rather unorthodoxly. He stared at us with a puzzling look when neither Kuroba nor the bird came out.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything" I said through bared teeth. I turned away from them and put a hand up to my head in order to calm myself down. Aoko was there and I couldn't worry her.

"Kaito-niisan said he had to go home. He said that the rabbit was smelly and he didn't like being out here."

Aoko bought the lie. The young boy had a knack for being able to accomplish the things I only wished I could do. I envied him that but it also made him a great partner to have.

Hattori wasn't fooled for an instant and, being on guard, the other teenage girl could sense that something was wrong.

"Hakuba-niisan is going to look for him the forest because he said he would probably get lost if we left him alone too long. Heiji-niichan," The small boy tugged on Hattori's arm and I could feel the hesitation and awkwardness in the gesture that should have been cute and calm. Whatever was going on with Conan, I'd worry about it later. "Come and help look!"

"I'll come too. Knowing that idiot he probably _did_ get lost."

"No Aoko-kun," I had my emotions mostly hidden away for the time being but that wouldn't last long. "I don't want you girls getting lost as well. Baaya is coming by to pick you up so go with her and I'll call you when we find him."

Clean, clear and decisive. The facts were there and she couldn't fight them. Kuroba had done worse in the past so she shouldn't be that worried about him. I'd call her later, just to fake his presence if I had to.

I didn't notice as the younger girl moved to stand next to Conan until I turned back around. They were having a rather intense whispered conversation and I didn't bother to try and listen in. A few of the words caught my attention simply because the girl had spoken them loud enough to reach me next to her. The two comprehendible words had been _crazy_ and _dead_. I didn't want to think about it or the implications of them coming from a child.

I helped everyone gather up the items in a controlled manner. I did not want to worry them so I forced my movements to be composed, but cleaning up was a slow and pointless task and agitated me when I thought about how Kuroba might be in trouble while I waste my time on the mediocre activity.

It didn't take us long to have everything put away and walk out to the street to wait for Baaya. It felt like it took an hour but that was just because I couldn't control my anxiety. Internally I knew it hadn't been more then fifteen minutes.

The woman came exactly twenty-two minutes and twenty-six seconds later. It felt much longer and I'd only managed to keep up one conversation between Aoko going for a short time about the scenery. They left me in silence the rest of the time and I had no idea what it was that I was focusing on or even looking at while we waited.

The second Baaya left with three girls, Haibara more hesitantly as she shared a glace with Conan that I couldn't understand, I headed down the road to where Kuroba had parked the other vehicle. Conan had been with him at the time so he'd be able to tell me an exact location as we narrowed in on it.

A bag off to the side of the road caught my attention. It wasn't rare to find trash here but the paper bag had a very distinct pink color that paper bags didn't have.

I immediately went over to it with Hattori and Conan following behind. They were having a quiet conversation, which I believed was of the occurrences that had happened in the Osakan's absence.

Upon opening the bag I was faced with a small, black device that I had never seen before. An antenna, small flip screen, and several internet functions told me it was a tracking device. I turned it on and was able to see a red dot off on the boarder of Tokyo and Ibaraki.

"At least it's something." I couldn't help smiling as I ran off to find the car.

"What was that?" I heard Hattori speak up but I wasn't going to waste time answering him. I found the yellow car without help and had the keys in my hand, since Kuroba was nice enough to leave them in the bag.

I heard protests from Hattori when he noticed I'd gotten in the driver's seat.

"Get – in – the – car." I was not going to tolerate anything less than completely reckless driving. If Kuroba had learned how to drive a car than so could I.

Conan hopped in the front seat, making Hattori angrier.

I started the car. I was ready to go with or without him at this point.

"Fine, geez." He clamored in behind me.

Conan surprised me when he turned off the ignition and threw the keys to Hattori who didn't catch them since it was unexpected and I heard him yell as they hit him. He'd thrown them back there purposely so that I wasn't able to get them back with any ease.

"Where is it that you think you're going?" The small boy asked the question of me so calmly that my irritation was hard to hold down on. If it weren't for the years of living in England I wouldn't have been able to pull it off.

"I'm going to get that idiot back so he can tell me why on earth he took my place. When I have my answers I'll decide what to do next."

"Hakuba-kun he told you why." I could feel understanding from him that a boy his age shouldn't have possessed. Over the past two weeks I'd come to know him better than I ever would have before. He didn't do anything without any purpose behind it. It seemed no one I was acquainted with did.

"Then I'm still going to get him back. To hell with answers."

My father had allowed himself to take the wrong person. _My father_ had purposely traded in someone else in my place. I respected the man to an extent but when he was willing to go along with Kuroba's insane plan that respect for him died. If it weren't for the magician's parting words, my father would have been at the top of my to-deal-with list.

The man had shown nothing but sympathy and understanding since I'd come to Japan. I always told myself it was because he felt ill at ease for letting my mother leave with me when I was an infant. I doubt that love drove his actions. Kuroba placed the idea of it there and it had an annoying way of growing the more that I thought about it.

"We can't go after him with nothing. If the organization does have him, we'd be giving ourselves to them on a silver platter." Conan placed a hand on my arm and looked me in the eyes. "That wouldn't do Kuroba-kun or any of us any good."

"Then what am I expected to do?" I let my voice remain quiet. I could have shouted but it wouldn't have gotten me anywhere and I needed help. I hated to admit it but I'd been needing help for a long time now.

"Let me make a phone call first and then we'll see what we're going to do from there."

Conan took out a red cellular phone with a small soccer keychain and made his call. Some part of me still wanted to take off after the idiot without any second thoughts or plans; some part of me that was very unintelligent and riding on emotions rather than thoughts. It scared me how much control that part of my mind was holding over me at the moment and I was thankful that Hattori still had the keys.

"Hello, Jodie-sensei. I need to speak with you. Now." There was urgency in his voice, a child's voice, which made me certain that he'd been through a lot. "Jodie-sensei, I have the location of some of -" he paused before stressing, "_them._" The person on the other end of the phone knew what he meant.

Their conversation went on for a while and Conan explained everything that had happened, leaving Kuroba unnamed and me as the protagonist. Hearing it from the child's point of view only made it clearer to me how much I'd been relaying on the others.

Conan hung up the phone after he said he'd call them back in a few minutes. The child reached his hand over the seat for the keys back and Hattori handed them over obligingly.

"Here," he said and gave them to me. I had them back in place and the car started in seconds. I knew the mechanics of driving even if I'd never done it. "We'll do things your way. We need to show the syndicate that they have no reason to kill you. I don't know how we're going to do it yet but we have Jodie-sensei as back up if things don't work out."

I nodded, not fully understanding. From previous conversations the name was associated with the FBI and having them behind us seemed like a perfectly wonderful idea. I was about to pull away when a very familiar car drove up and I purposely cut the engine.

I got out and slammed the door hard. The white car noticed me since it was driving by slowly and pulled over to the side of the road in front of the yellow beetle. I walked with the car until its engine was also cut and the large man came out of the seat.

"How could you?" I asked him straightforward with all the fury I had. "Kuroba-kun had nothing to do with this! How could you let him take my place?"

His speechlessness and downtrodden expression only exacerbated my rage. I watched him and heard as Conan and Hattori got out of the car to watch our confrontation.

"Saguru, I couldn't -" He sighed and tried to put and hand on my shoulder before I tore away from him. He let his hand fall. "I couldn't let them kill you."

"So you'd let them kill someone else instead? What kind of officer – what kind of man are you!"

"I am a father Saguru and I couldn't let them hurt you. It's not like I gave that boy to them against his will." My father's tone was confident as if he'd been repeating the same thing over and over to himself so that he'd believe it.

Kuroba's words came back to me. I couldn't stop them filling my head with ideas of a man's love who I'd barely known more than half a year.

"It didn't have to be against his will. You knew they wanted me dead so anyone who went in my place would expect the same fate. You sent him to his death."

"I know and I can regret it all I want. But I still have you."

"No." The seething anger was back. Even if the man loved me, I couldn't understand how he went along not only with my ransom but with Kuroba's scheme. He'd gone as far as to shoot me. "You never had me."

I left the man to stand where he was and walked back over to the small car. My father followed me and placed a hand on the roof to hover over me after I was inside.

"What do you want me to do? You have a plan right?"

"No I do not have a plan and I don't want anything from you." I would have pushed his hand away if I could have ever overpowered my father. I had taken on none of his physical traits when I was born and he was larger and stronger than me.

"If you need anything just call and don't get yourself killed. I don't think that boy would have wanted you to either or he wouldn't have come with me."

"Shut up!"

He had no right to say anything about Kuroba, he didn't even know him. As true as the fact may be, I wasn't going to stand there and listen to him when he hadn't been through anything… well, he was the one called when my mother was kidnapped. I could give him that much, at least.

"Just leave," I told him with my head down. I couldn't face him when I was starting to understand his feelings. "Go."

The way my father tensed and the sudden fragility in him startled me and I turned to face him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." His voice was hoarse from holding back too many emotions even though he wasn't showing any. "You're right" he smiled, "I'm a terrible person."

_Damn right!_ I wanted to shout at him but my conscience got the better of me and I wasn't able to let it out. I was seeing my father in a far more delicate state then I'd ever seen him. There was a lot at stake right now and I couldn't afford to let my emotions get in the way.

"I'll call if I need anything." I couldn't thank him. I didn't know if he deserved my hate or not but rationalizing it now would only waste time.

"Alright Saguru," he sighed. "For what it's worth I am sorry. I just didn't know what else to do. Hate me all you want but that won't change anything. If given the chance to go back I'd do the same thing."

"That's nice to know," I said sarcastically. Sarcasm had never come so naturally to me as it did right then. Without my manners to hide behind I sounded a lot like that stupid magician.

I started the car as he backed away. If my father was surprised that I was driving, he didn't show it. I shifted into drive before hitting the gas too quickly and took off at a much higher speed then I was prepared for. On the country roads it didn't matter much since there were few drivers and I'd get used to the pedals sooner or later.

"Damn!" Hattori yelled from the backseat. A hint of contentment danced through me, partially form Hattori's discomfort and partially from the thrill and speed of the car picking up underneath my foot. The thrill vanished quickly enough.

"Navigate for me will you Conan-kun?" I passed the black device over to him and Conan nodded before flipping open the screen and zooming in on the coordinates so he'd be able to see street names.

While he was looking at the map, he got back on the phone with the person he'd just called a few minutes ago and gave her a location close to where Kuroba's signal was coming from. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye when he kept the whereabouts of the organization a secret from them.

"You're not sharing information with the FBI?" I asked.

"No, it would only get us killed. Not me but you, Hattori, and Kuroba-kun if he's not already dead."

My hands tightened on the wheel. Conan watched me and his surveillance of my actions made it easier to calm down.

"So we just stroll in there and take him back? That was my plan but it doesn't sound as appealing as it did in my head a few minutes ago" I admitted.

"That's exactly what we're going to do."

I waited for him to explain his reasoning since mine had left me long ago but he remained silent and I sighed when Hattori was the one who asked him to explain.

"If we all go in there and they kill us, it will leave them with a bunch of bodies they now have to hide. Not impossible or even hard for them to do but time consuming. I'm going to let some of the information about the FBI in the area get through to them so that their actions are limited. Even that's not a guarantee but I can't think of anything better."

Conan looked down and I felt an urge that I had felt earlier in the week, a need to get him out of danger. Besides his youth there was a quality to him that made him seem valuable, in need of protection, which I couldn't shake. I hadn't been around him and Hattori much but I was sure the Osakan felt the same influence that the boy had on me.

"There's a very good chance we won't make it out alive so if you want to back out that's fine." The statement was aimed at Hattori so I focus what little part of my mind wasn't occupied elsewhere on driving. I was going way over the speed limit but it left me with no guilty feelings.

Sometimes it _was_ okay to break the law, as Kuroba had demonstrated to me, if you're doing it for perfectly good reasons. Reason I was all too familiar with now. A part of me wished that the thief hadn't told me why he'd taken to stealing with so little remorse about the consequences of it but I was glad that I knew. Knowing may always come with burdens of its own but I'd be able to act on my own intentions without any future regret.

Though I hadn't told him, I'd promised myself that I'd no longer try and hinder his exploits. There were too many lives riding on his success and he didn't need me standing in the way.

This was why we were going to get him back alive.

Hattori had remained silent. I had no problem rushing in, since it was already me who was supposed to die. Conan posed of little help if they did decide to kill us since a child's disappeared would be easier to hide, but he seemed just as determined as I was. Hattori was a larger player in our bargaining because both he and I were the only sons of prominent policemen and more would be done to look into our disappearances.

"It's hard ta say, _sure let's rush ta our death._" Hattori's words were quiet and I let them enter the part of my brain that could think in a detached fashion without consulting my feelings.

"I know that." I couldn't say much more. Even as we spoke, some instinct in me wanted me to run as far as I could and _let _Kuroba take my place. It made me hate myself for feeling that way too, however small that part of me was.

Hattori knew he had to come with us. I was pretty much leaving him no other option since I planned to run in without backup. I was as good as putting someone else under the knife along with me.

Kuroba and I were too similar.

When I'd asked him who he'd save if both Hattori and I were in danger, he didn't pick either of us. It was all or nothing for him and I felt the same. If there was a chance of all of us to get out alive then I was going to take it, even if it killed all of us if we failed.

"What other choice do I have?" The Osakan conceded.

"There is always a choice Hattori," Conan answered back._ If only there was always a choice._

"There is" the young boy spoke to me. I had to assume that my demeanor showed my skepticism in his statement. "No matter how small the choice, there always is one. If there were never an option, an easy way out, then this world wouldn't have as much problems as it does."

Admittedly true, I couldn't argue with him.

Hattori leaned between the seats without a seatbelt as I slowed, coming upon more crowded streets.

"I'm fine with it."

I was able to see his face when he said it as I took my eyes off the road for an instant. There was steadfastness in him that matched my own determination. The only thing his expression held that mine didn't was a solid preparation for death. It was the face of a soldier in the front lines going up against an army three times the size and power of their own.

The anger I'd been feeling was acting as a shield against my fears and it started to crumble. Conan had a phone even if I didn't have mine so I could call my mother if I wanted, to say goodbye at least in case things didn't turn out as well as I hoped they would.

I couldn't call her though. I had to have as many reasons as I could to fight these people. They had killed Kane. I didn't know him personally, since his father was a friend of the family and only accepted my help since no other assistance was available, but the boy's life was still as important to me as Hisa's was. They had threatened to hurt and kill my family and my mind was having far too much fun with what they could have done to Kuroba. I had more then enough reasons to take action against them. Now I needed to make sure I stayed alive to get back to my mother as well.

The car ride was silent as we all spent it inside our own thought. Hattori got on the phone at one point and had a civilized conversation with his female friend, asking questions about how she was, if she was having a good time with Koizumi, and the like. He ended the call by saying he'd get back to her tomorrow when he'd solved the case.

Conan's sharp voice was the only thing that got to me after that. He directed me through traffic and down side streets that would be quicker than some of Tokyo's main roads. I didn't question his knowledge of them as I drove. My skills were shaky at first but driving wasn't that difficult.

My questioning started when we drove up to Kuroba's location and were faced with a large biotechnology research facility. It had white wall and a catacomb entranceway with high, tinted windows that made it impossible to see through.

"This can't be right."

"Of course it is. Try and park around the corner. If you can't let Hattori do it. The syndicate has been around for years and they wouldn't have lasted long if they operated out in the open."

I nodded and looked up at the building before pulling away. It was at least seven stories tall and seemed to function like any other research center, judging by the appearance of some of the people I saw walking in. Any of their less conspicuous actions would be done on the lower floors.

I parked the car with no difficulty since there weren't many vehicles around. It was already falling into late afternoon and most of the workers and tourists had gone home for the day.

Conan was the one who lead us back to the building and I took the time to riffle through some of Kuroba's pockets. His jacket was bulky even if it didn't have the outward appearance of it and something had been poking me in the side since I'd gotten in the car.

What came out was a black plastic stick with a grip around the middle. It had a metal loop on the end. I experimentally tried to pull it out but nothing happened.

Hattori had been looking over my shoulder and took the object from before I could get a good enough grip on it to keep it in my possession. He took the loop and turned it to the right before it clicked and he was able to pull out thick metal wire. As if he were an expert on the thing, Hattori extended the wire until it was long enough to connect to the other end. He placed it inside and turned it until it clicked again, holding the thick metal wire in a loop and the plastic forming a 'D'.

"It's for sliding down wires. There a hook in the coat somewhere with a wheel attached to it that goes on it too."

"How do you know so much about it?"

"I was playin' around with some of his stuff when he was sleepin'. I couldn't help it." Hattori undid the clasped and retracted the wire before handing it back to me. "He didn't catch me 'till I couldn't stop that damn frequency device from ringin'."

"I wondered where that annoying noise was coming from." I had distant memories of trying to read one of the professor's books only to have a very obnoxious high pitched noise keep me from enjoying it.

"Probably not the best way ta wake up. Can't blame the guy yellin' at me fer that but ta get mad at me fer lookin' at his stuff when I wasn't doin' nothing wrong got me annoyed."

"Don't you dare go touching my things while I'm unconscious" I warned him.

"I know but that's 'cause it's you. Yer tightly strung enough an' I'd know that would getcha mad. Kuroba got mad 'cause he likes keepin' his secrets. I don't think the guy's ever really let his guard down."

"With everything he's had to deal with, that wouldn't surprise me."

"What are ya talkin' about?"

I left his question hanging as we turned the corner and faced the building. I looked back up at it again and it only seemed more natural to me. Nothing about it showed any inkling of it being the headquarters of the organization so I had to assume that it was one of many temporary sites.

"So how are we getting in?" I asked to either of them. As I'd come to learn, Conan was my mental equal, so an answer from either would have held the same weight.

"Just walk in." Conan pushed through the glass doors without a look back and I followed. Hattori took a second to complain to himself before falling in line behind me.

There was a large waiting room as we entered with repeating black tiles standing out starkly against egg white walls. A desk of marble was situated in the center where two receptionists sat in front of state-of-the-line computers.

Conan continued to walk forward so I did the same. One of the women glanced at us.

"Excuse me but I can't let you through unless you have business here."

We'd gotten far enough that I was able to read the names on the door. I inclined my head to Hattori so he could follow through with making up a lie about an appointment since I couldn't freely use my name.

"Oh, it's ok" The Osakan told her. "I'm helpin' my old man out. He told me ta meet with one of his friends here ta drop off somethin' off. If ya need ta call him I can give ya the number."

"No that's fine. I just need your name and the names of your friends so that I can give you an I.D. badge. I also need to call in ahead so that they're aware that you're coming."

"Sure but I don't remember the name. My old man said to go up ta the third floor an' he'd meet me there. I'm Hattori Heiji, this is Kitogawa Natsuki" he waved a hand at me when as he introduced me under Kuroba's false name, adding on a last name I wasn't familiar with. I didn't think I would need one. "And the little guy's one of my dad's friends. Do ya need his name to?"

"No sir. If your business is quick just have whoever you're meeting call down to us so that we know you're not wondering off."

"Sure thing." Hattori waved goodbye to her as we made our way over to the black elevators. Once inside Conan waited for it to close without hitting any of the floor indicator buttons.

"Hattori was it a good idea to give them your real name?" Conan asked. The question had been on my mind too.

"We're gonna use me ta get everyone out alive right? They're gonna know who I am anyway so why hide it?"

"Right." Conan fidgeted around the elevator buttons and I just noticed that they didn't have any lower floors.

"We have no idea where we're going, do we?" I asked him.

"Yes we do. The tracking device that Kuroba left us with was exceptional. When we passed the building I was able to zoom in more and it said that he was three floors down. I didn't expect the elevator _not to go down!_" His exasperated sighed mirrored my feelings.

"So where would ya hide something like that without gettin' attention by having a completely separate elevator? By havin' it right in front of ya." Hattori stuck his fingers between the silver paneling that held the buttons. It took a second but he was able to pull it away.

Instead of the wiring being underneath, there were new buttons going down five floors.

"See? What did I tell ya?"

Conan reached up and hit three. The button flared a red color before the floor numbers above the elevator disappeared. He put the paneling back and I suddenly had the feeling like I couldn't breathe.

Hattori's hand twitched at his side and he shoved them both into his pockets. "Damn this is stupid."

And it was. I was essentially leading us all to our deaths if things didn't work out. I didn't want to die.

Instead of falling into my fears, I told myself again at how much Kuroba had done for me so far. It was enough to get my mind back in order.

The elevator doors opened before I was ready and I was prepared for the worst.

No one met us when the doors parted. In fact, the whole hallway was deserted.

"Ok, looks like everybody's gone out on holiday." Hattori was the first on to break the silence. We all got out of the elevator before it had time to close. A part of me wanted to claw at the doors, to keep them open instead of trapping me down here.

Conan moved down the hallway. My mind was aware, but not ashamed, that I was following the child instead of leading. The white walls around us gave off the atmosphere of a doctor's office and there was an antiseptic smell that hung loosely in the air that added to the impression.

The hallway was about ten meters long when it forked off in two different directions. Conan went right and I went left. Hattori looked between the two of us before following Conan.

There were doors. Lots of doors. White frosted windows, about ten inches, were the only thing that adorned them so that it was hard to see anything but distorted shapes on the other side.

I came to the first door and examined it. I could see something black and smudgy on the other side with a faint splash of blue. Squinting my eyes did nothing to clear the image. I noticed Hattori trying to wave me down from his end of the hall.

I turned to face him and he made a line left to right in the air. Neither of us was going to risk yelling to one another so I watched and tried to understand what he was attempting to get across.

Giving up with the line, he made the shape of a box, indicating the windows, and started putting his hand in a dash across the bottom. I looked back at the window and noticed a small plastic piece sticking up. I took my nail and slid it slightly, removing the distorted covering so that I could look inside.

I quickly looked away.

There was a man in there. He was balding and getting on in years. In his hands was the body of a small girl, dark hair long and flowing down her back. Both were dead and their bodies were in a state of decay.

As sickened as I was, I turned back to Hattori. I had no choice but to give him the thumbs up to show I understood what he meant. The gesture was childish and my hand was shaking.

I continued to walk down the hall with renewed speed. I couldn't face Kuroba if he was like that. He couldn't be dead.

Some of the rooms were gratefully empty and a few others held people who were not quite dead yet. We'd have to get the police or the FBI in here as soon as we could so that the organization couldn't hold these people's lives any longer.

I almost passed Kuroba before I knew it was him.

I was looking for someone with dark spiked up hair before I remembered that he'd flattened and bleached some of it.

I turned back to the magician's room, desperate to see if he was alive.

There was blood running down from his wrists where handcuffs held him in the air cut into his skin. Blood also ran down the right side of his face and I could see a similar stain on his shirt. I watched but couldn't tell if he was breathing.

I wanted to yell to them but took a breath and settled on waving them down like Hattori had me. There was a large distance separating us now and I couldn't tell if he saw me until he waved in return.

They came to me as fast as they could without running. We didn't want to make noise that would get their attention before we were ready.

Hattori looked in the window and swore.

"Is he breathing?"

I shrugged and tired to look again. Even with the window clear, Kuroba's head rested on his chest and made it hard to tell if he was alive.

"We've got to open the door and find out." I'd already looked at it. The door was designed so that it could only be opened with a key. The walls were soundproof and sturdy so there was no way to get in besides the door. The widow had to be as reinforced as the walls.

"Come here." Hattori grabbed me and turned me to face him before rummaging through the jacket pockets. "I know I saw some lock picks in here. I'm not that good but I don't know how else ta get in."

There was a small leather pouch he took out. Inside were several long metal pieces with different hooks on them. A few of them were odd looking and simply bent to the side at different angles without any hooks.

"Damn this is gonna be hard." Hattori took two with funny shaped ends and one of the bent ones. "Don't expect me ta get through for at least half-an-hour, and hour tops."

"That's a long time Hattori," Conan spoke up.

"Got a better idea Kudo – shit," The detective stopped and I saw his hands were shaking. "Sorry."

"Just try and get in." I'd already heard him call Conan by Kudo's name several times now, I wasn't an idiot. Why he was doing it and why the other seemed bothered by it, I wasn't sure, but it wasn't the time to be arguing about it.

"Right," Hattori nodded and tried to steady his hands. "I'll try."


	31. Blood and Deception

The mysterious boy from the Organization now as a name.  
If you're interested, I got the idea from some ingredients that are used to make Vermouth

BUT DO NOT TRY TO DRINK IT! IT IS ILLEGAL EVERYWHERE! (I think)  
BECAUSE IT IS TOXIC AND WILL HURT YOU!

I DO NOT CONDONE DRINKING IT OR MAKING IT OR DOING ANYTHING WITH  
IT SO PLEASE DON'T!

* * *

_**Chapter 31: Blood and Deception**_

"Kuroba-kun," I heard a voice calling to me. I could have sworn it was the detective's. Too tired to open my eyes, I settled on letting the voice keep calling.

"Damn it, wake up!"

Someone shook me and it hurt. I _really_ hurt. I gasped in a breath and tried to open my eyes to see who was so keen on waking me up. I wanted to keep sleeping.

"Kuroba-kun." My name was accompanied by a contented sigh. I looked up and saw someone in front of me with dark hair and clothes. My brain remembered a boy in black holding a gun.

I let out some sort of noise and tried to back up. I didn't succeed since I was still tied to the wall. Memories came back to me slowly as my vision started to clarify.

"What's wrong?" The voice was so calming, so worried for me, that the image of the young killer soon faded. I was left facing Hakuba who looked like he'd aged several years since the last time I saw him, which couldn't have been that long ago.

His hands were held lightly on my chest, near my shoulders, and he was trembling.

"Hi," I said numbly. The pain in my shoulders was slowly returning now that I remembered it was there.

"You idiot." Hakuba looked from me to Hattori. "Can you get him down?"

"Hah, I think he can get himself down faster unless ya wanna stay here another fifty-six minute and eleven seconds."

"I doubt he's in any shape to be doing that." Hakuba looked me over and I winced when his hand drew lower and touched my collarbone. He moved to unbutton the top of my shirt and I could feel his fingertips press into the area while I shut my eyes and waited for him to stop.

"There's a lot of bruising. I think it's broken."

"Well thanks… I really didn't… need to know." I'd forgotten that I couldn't speak in complete sentences, at least not the way I was hanging.

"Kuroba-kun what's wrong? There's no way that a broken collarbone should hurt you this much."

_Oh, trust me detective, it really hurts._ I wanted to say to him. I was busy trying to figure out just why he was here.

"Hakuba!" I tried to yell at him but it came out quiet since I didn't get in enough breath beforehand. "What are you… doing here?"

"Getting you out of this place, you idiot."

I heard someone fidgeting with the handcuffs that were holding me in the air.

"Ah, it's on the other side," I heard Hattori grumble. "Any way ya can move yer hand?"

"None." It would really hurt if I tried that. As unfocused as my attention was, I turned back to Hakuba with my initial worry. "What are you… doing here?... If they see you… you're gonna be…" I didn't finish. Why waste breath when I'd gotten my point across?

"I'm counting on being found out. I'd rather you be free and in less pain at that time, in case we have to get out of here quickly."

"I'm gonna move yer hand, ok?" Hattori interrupted. It was my right hand so his twisting wouldn't aggravate the broken bone. I nodded.

By moving my wrist, I had to move my body as well, so that my wrist wouldn't snap with all my weight on it. I clenched my teeth and tasted the metal flavor of blood in my mouth. I hadn't forgotten about the new bullet wound and it had an awful way of keeping itself at the forefront of my mind.

Kudo was in the room as well, though he was standing guard near the door. None of the detectives missed the pain flash across my face. I quickly tried to hide it as pain from my shoulder.

I only partially succeeded. Hattori went back to picking the cuffs and Kudo continued to watch out the door. Hakuba wouldn't take his eyes off me.

"Kuroba, what-" The detective shook his head. "Can I do anything to help?"

"No." I smiled, keeping my mouth closed so he couldn't see the blood. I tried to swallow it. "Just get me… down."

"Workin' on it" Hattori assured me. "I learned how ta pick cuffs long ago. Ever since the incident with Kuzuha I never wanted ta be stuck in them again." I had no idea what he was talking about but I listened. "I'll have ya out in a minute."

I nodded and took time to think while no one was talking to me. The detectives were here which meant they had some sort of plan. They were also fidgety and I could vouch for at least two of them trembling since I could feel Hattori shaking every time he lifted the handcuff to see the keyhole better, which meant their plan was flimsy and they were scared.

"You're an idiot," I informed the detective. All the detectives.

"Well then you shouldn't have rubbed off on me." I heard Hakuba laugh but it was a shallow and small thing. "I couldn't just leave you here."

"You should have." I was all serious. Sure I didn't want to die in this place but I didn't want them to die here trying to save me. "What was the point… of all this then?"

"The point is that we're in a place where decisions can be made and you've still taken everything that was meant for me just like you wanted. If we can _all_ get out alive, then we will."

"And if we can't, we'll all die like dogs," I laughed bitterly. It was a horrible term and I didn't know where it had come from since dogs tended to die just like humans did, even in the past. Maybe it was from when they used to drown puppies or something.

"What happened ta the optimist I've come ta like?" Hattori asked as I felt the cuff release me. The fall to the ground was only a few inches but Hakuba grabbed me under the arms anyway so that I wouldn't hurt myself.

Moving my arms downward hurt almost twice as much as keeping them in the air. The broken bone saw to that. It couldn't have started mending yet but, being in a set position, it was agonizing to move it to a new one.

I could see the detective shudder, not from my weight but from restrained terror. These people could kill us all without batting an eye and I was busy worrying about my temporary pain instead of seeing the others in the room.

Before Hakuba took his hands away, I reached him with my good arm and hugged him. In my arm I could feel him quivering. His head was turned away from me but I knew I'd shocked him enough that, if the shaking was controllable, it would have stopped.

"What are you-?"

"Thank you." I didn't need a lot of breath since Hakuba was right in front of me. It was hesitant, for fear of hurting me, but Hakuba hugged me in return before backing off.

I looked up at Hattori and repeated the same thing. He nodded to me with what should have been a smile. Something must have unnerved them a great deal before they found me.

"I should be saying that to you."

"Huh?"

I turned back to Hakuba when he spoke. It was impossible to miss the anger and frustration that were trying to override his fear of the situation.

The detective had nothing to thank me for. I'd gone against him at every turn, even if it _was_for his own wellbeing. When I'd seen how badly hurting his son had affected Hakuba's father, I had to think about how I was hurting the detective with my own actions. What I was doing may have been protecting him physically but mentally, I wasn't so sure.

"Don't you dare!" Hakuba snapped me out of my thoughts by grabbing onto my shirt which was still unbuttoned halfway. Since it was open, it didn't hurt when he pulled it forward, it just startled me. "Don't you dare look at me like that!"

"Like what?" I didn't even know I was looking at him.

Hakuba's dark eyes meet mine and he remained quiet while he searched for a descent description of how I my expression had angered him. A stray thought made me wonder why he'd kept the contacts in.

"You're looking at me like you fully expected this from the start; as if you anticipated being hurt and locked up here instead of me."

"That's because I did."

I closed my eyes when I spoke, entirely expecting Hakuba to hit me. I knew what speaking the truth to him meant but I didn't prevent me from doing it anyway.

"Why?"

The desperation in his voice made me open my eyes. I was bewildered when Hakuba looked at me with tears running down his face. I'd never seen the detective cry, even when Kane died he'd hidden it from me. He made no attempt to do so now. It showed me how out of his depth he was feeling.

_And damn it, I never thought I'd see the stuck up rich kid cry because of me. He was too proud._

"Hakuba." If I could explain it, it may help, or it may just hurt the detective more. "You've been around the murdered… I've been around the _murderers_… I've been in a lot of… life threatening situations… you haven't… If one of us had to come…. I preferred it to be me."

I took the detective's hand from where he was kneeling in front of me and he watched my eyes instead of my movement. I looked back up at him. "And the difference is here…. You can see… You're afraid." His hand was trembling in mine from everything; fear, tension, emotional pain, and things I could only guess at. My hand was steady. "I'm not afraid."

"There's no way you're not scared too." Hakuba's hand tightened in mine. "You simply hide it better."

For the record, there was very little part of me that was afraid. There was a basic part of me attributed to human nature that wanted to keep me alive until the end, a need for survival. I felt that. But the overwhelming amount of my fear was placed elsewhere.

I smiled.

"Yes Hakuba, I'm afraid." I tightened my grip as well. "I'm afraid that everyone's going to die… and that all our work until now… will be pointless."

"Kuroba, how do you think I would have felt? How do you think _any_of us would have felt, if we'd let you die here?" Hakuba searched in the black coat pockets until he came across a small tissue. He wiped the caked on blood off my face and watched me. "How do you think I would have ever forgiven myself if we had found you dead?"

"In time you would have."

"I don't think you fully realize what kind of effect you have on people." Hakuba glanced around the room at the others. "If our places were reversed, which they should have been, and you found me like we've found you… would _you_ have been able to forgive yourself?"

"We're very different people."

"Oh, but we aren't." Hakuba gave up kneeling and went on my other side where he sat down against the wall. Hattori followed his actions. "Our methods may be different but our goals and ideals are the same. In fact, we're very much alike."

"That's a scary thought." Hakuba continued before I thought of something to say to contradict him.

"You said you were afraid of everyone dying. I'm not thinking about my own life right now either." He laughed. It held real humor. "If I was, do you think I'd be here?"

"Ok, ok, I get your point." I tucked my arm closer to me and noticed that it was hiding my fresh bullet wound. I couldn't be concealing things like that from any of them if they need to know about it.

"Hakuba."

It was funny how fast he turned to me when he heard the inflections in my voice change. I'd have to watch out in the future of how I spoke.

"What is it?"

"Remember how I said that nothing was wrong when you asked me?" He nodded as his expression become more solemn. "Well I was lying."

"I thought you were." Hakuba looked over me again. "Where are you hurt?"

"One of them shot me when they brought me in." I lifted my shirt to look at the bandages. Vermouth had done a good job and it hadn't bled through much. "It's not that bad."

Hattori was the one who reacted first.

"Not that bad? You were shot! Bullets ain't the softest things in the world!"

"Shh!" Kudo shot back at him. The small detective looked out the door again. His eyes visibly widened and he ran over to us to stand next to Hattori. Hakuba waved him over towards him instead and Kudo hesitated before following the unspoken command.

The detective searched systematically through the coat before grabbing one of my spare caps out of an outer pocket. It left me to wonder how much rummaging through my stuff had occurred before I woke up.

Hakuba shoved the cap on Kudo's head and tried to hide the boy behind him without completely blocking him from view. It had nothing to do with Kudo being the one who was most vulnerable to these people, it was more a sheltering instinct for someone younger than him.

"Who's coming?" I asked. Kudo shook his head. He must not have stuck around to see.

We could hear their approach soon after. They weren't rushing. The slow steady movement allowed me to identify three sets of footsteps.

The boy in black tried to come in first but Vermouth gently brushed him aside and stared in the room at us, still under the guise of a man in glasses.

"Well what do we have here?"

Behind her, the third person who'd come with them stood silently on the other side of the wall where they couldn't be seen.

Kudo moved to get a better look from behind Hakuba and Vermouth smiled in satisfaction when she caught his glance.

"How'd they get in?" The boy in black turned towards Vermouth and grinned. "I can play with some of them this time, right?"

"Absinthe, Absinthe, you really must learn to control yourself." Vermouth chided him, her words coming out in a guys voice but said in a woman's tone sounded strange.

I could recognize a man's voice start talking to her but he spoke in a whisper, and I couldn't do more than recognize the lower tones of an older man.

Vermouth turned back to him and whispered something in reply. Absinthe shook his head.

"I don't think we should do that!"

"Shush," Vermouth scolded him. "The grown-ups are talking."

The man whispered something to the boy and his smile turned downright jubilant. He took a gun out of his coat and leveled it at me, since I was in the center of the room. It allowed him an easy shot if any of us moved.

Vermouth turned around with the same smile on her face. I shouldn't have noticed the uneasiness of it with how well she kept it masked but I did.

"Hey," Hattori spoke up. "Ya sure ya wanna go and kill us? Ya already know that someone's been searchin' out yer little hide out here. Kill us and ya'll bring down the whole police force."

"That sounds fun."

The deep voice resonated across the room.

Damn that voice was scary. The hidden man felt authentic enjoyment at the idea of having the police try and catch them. He made the very idea seem laughable.

It was way beyond even the pride that I alluded to as a thief.

"It's not just the police," I spoke up, using the detective's voice so that he would remember not to speak. Kudo wouldn't have come without backup.

"Aw come on. Wouldn't it be fun to chase them around a little while longer?" Vermouth asked the man, attempting to persuade him to her side.

She was trying to help us.

He whispered back his response.

"They haven't seen _us_" she stressed back at him. There was a gruff laugh. "And we've got what we want. These kids can't do anything to us." Vermouth paused and smiled at him. "Or are you afraid?"

Stiff, jerky movements were made and tension around our three watchers was high. The man told Absinthe something and the boy grinned. Vermouth also went over to him to receive whatever knowledge he wanted to keep secret from the rest of us.

From down here we couldn't hear the sounds of the outside world, probably due to soundproof wall, but it was obvious that the police or FBI had drawn in.

After another curt laugh, the man who had kept himself hidden started to walk away. "Absinthe, teach them a lesson."

"Yes sir!"

I moved my hands back in time to allow the bullet an unhindered path to my stomach. I screamed. It would have gone through my arm anyway and I'd rather lessen the range of injury.

Hakuba almost growled as he moved to stand in front of me so that I couldn't be shot again. Absinthe grinned at his new target. Besides blocking me from view, he had stood up, making it easier to be hurt.

I heard two shots, warranting a pained noise with each, and I tried to pull the detective down. Little droplets of blood splattered the wall behind me.

"Idiot! Get down!" I kept his voice, getting the words out through gritted teeth.

"I'm fine." Hakuba fell to one knee beside me and kept Kudo out of sight. "They aren't trying… to kill us."

Absinthe leveled the gun at Hattori next, who just smiled at him from his sitting place next to me.

"Havin' fun huh?"

"What could be more fun than this?"

Hattori was shot in the leg, which he'd kept up to protect his internal organs and another bullet hit him just below the wrist, scarping the skin instead of entering his body. Instead of screaming, air just rushed out of his lungs as he choked back on the noise.

"Can I play with them a little more?" He asked Vermouth. "I promise I won't kill them."

"No Absinthe, you've done enough." She pulled out a gun of her own holster before shooting the boy in the head without warning. His smile didn't have time to fade before he died, slumping over sideways onto the floor. "We're through here."

Vermouth looked outside the door to make sure no one was snooping around.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked her. I surprised more than just the woman when I spoke.

"We don't leave loose ends, little bird. Since you've all seen his face, there was no way for me to have let you go without him dying."

"I've seen _your_ face."

"Yes but no one knows that. If you want to announce it and get yourself killed, go ahead. This will take care of any favors I owe to you so keep that in mind if you want to play rabbit for the werewolves in the future."

"Vermouth what are you playing at?" Kudo asked her. "You've never been this helpful before."

"I've stopped you from being killed as well cool guy." She smiled at Kudo with a hint of mischief. "Just because you don't see something doesn't mean it hasn't happened. You'd better get out of here before Gin comes back."

He nodded and Hakuba moved to help me up. I pushed him away and saw the large amount of blood running down his left arm. He'd gotten shot in the shoulder and somewhere below his elbow, making it impossible for him to move the limb.

"Helping me will… only hurt me" I explained. If anyone moved my arm again I was sure I was going to pass out.

"Are you okay to walk?"

"I'm fine," I said almost incoherently.

"Oh yes, you're just at the peak of physical wellness." It made me smile to hear the detective talk sarcastically.

"Hey, I said I was fine. I never claimed to be perfect."

I got up as slowly as I could. I was bleeding a lot from both stomach wounds and knew I wouldn't make it far. The pain in my ankle was hidden beneath all my new pains so it didn't trouble me when I walked over to the dead boy.

I took my fingers and wiped the blood off on my clothes before using them to close his eyes. People weren't born acting like that and I pitied him as much as my anger would let me. Shooting me was _not_ how you got on my good side.

"You're a sentimental fool, you know that?" Vermouth told me. She hadn't left.

"You say that like it's… a bad thing."

"It is."

"Maybe it is for you," I told her, "but without having the capacity to… feel for others, I wouldn't be able… to enjoy their company either."

"You're just like your father."

All emotion and pain I was feeling turned to tense, solid, masks when I faced her.

"That one _was_ as compliment" she laughed easily. "It took me a while but I remembered where I'd seen you before. You couldn't have been more than six at the time so it's no surprise that you forgot me. You were a one-trick magician at the time but the flower you gave me was still pretty. Even back then you gave me a black one."

"What?" I didn't remember meeting Vermouth before. I was too tired and exhausted to try and think back on all the things that had happened when I was a kid. The fact that I knew her was quickly overshadowed by something else she had said.

"You knew my dad?"

"Yes, and he was a sentimental fool just like you. It's the reason I've come to like the two of you. There's another person here who cares too much about the lives of murders like me. It's a shame you're not on the same side."

My eyes flashed to Kudo but I turned back to face her. Hakuba was at on my left and offered me his good hand. I took it so that I didn't have to be on my knees anymore. It hurt getting up and Hattori moved to help me as well. Once standing I was fine on my own.

"You should get out of here then." I looked away from her.

"Why, do I scare you?"

"No." A part of me felt traitorous at what I was about to do but I had a soft spot for females, an even softer one for someone who had just saved our lives, in her own roundabout way. "Kudo-kun's not stupid. He would have signaled whatever backup he had the second we…" I had to pause and wipe off some of the blood on my mouth since it was making it hard to talk, "we're alone with you. They'll be coming any minute."

Kudo eyed me darkly but I ignored him. Vermouth took his action to mean that everything I said had been true.

"Thank you. I guess I'll be getting out of here then." she waved before going down the hall the way Gin had gone. "I'm not worried about the cops who are outside but if the cool guy's friends are coming, I don't want to stick around."

"Why did you tell her that? We could have gotten one of them!" Kudo yelled from a few feet below me.

"Because it wouldn't have done anything except get her killed, and others killed when the… organization tried to stop her. I think enough people have died already."

"Kuroba-kun she's a murderer," Hakuba breathed. "Do you think she would have lifted a finger to help you if we hadn't come? She would have watched you die."

"I know that." The room drew in and out of focus and I swayed even as I held onto the detective's arm. "Can we just say I'm an idiot and leave it at that for now?"

"For now," he agreed, "but we're going to get back to it later."

"Right."

Hakuba led me to the door as if I were blind, tugging my arm to get me to move in the right direction.

"Kuroba-kun are you sure you can walk?"

"No, I'm not. The second we get outside I'm passing out so if you keep going, I'm hoping to make it there."

The hallways were long and my focus constantly shifted until I was no longer aware how much time had passed.

"Kuroba!" I looked up and noticed I was leaning against one of the walls and had stopped the group. Hakuba looked at me with unrestrained concern. "We're almost there so stay with me."

"Right." I nodded, following him indiscriminately.

When we got to an elevator I took the time to notice that we were in the basement of some building.

After the ground floor button was hit, the jerky start of the lift made me lose the thin line of balance I had going and Hakuba half-caught me and lowered me to the ground.

"Be ready to get up when we stop" he told me. I nodded again.

We stopped.

"Damn it."

I used Hakuba to get back up and Hattori got on my other side. Between the two of them holding me up, I looked like a drunk.

"Ah!" I heard a woman scream. The detectives tugged me along past the desk where two female secretaries were.

I looked down at the blood we were all covered in.

"Crazy guy here snuck in a paint ball gun. Turns out my old man sent me here ta pick him up so he'd stop causing trouble. Took me a while ta catch him but I got everything cleaned up."

Right. Great cover story on Hattori's part and he'd even thought of it quickly. There was no need to worry anyone until the police came in and sorted everything out.

The flashing lights were visible outside the glass doors.

_How in the world had Vermouth and the other man gotten me in without anyone noticing?_ I wondered briefly. There must have been another exit.

"Ouch," I mumbled. I took a look at my hands and wiped one off on my – no, Hakuba's – coat before taking out the contacts. "How can you keep them... in so long?" I asked the detective.

"I can't take them out" he laughed. "I tried to do it several times but I only irritated my eyes further."

"Heh."

Hattori pushed the door open with his shoulder and I saw how much he was sweating. He had to put weight on his leg in order to move forward unless he wanted to hop and, since he was helping me, he couldn't do that.

I'd never been so happy to see so many cop cars.

"How'd they get here?" Hakuba asked.

"Me."

All three detectives turned to look in my direction.

"When did ya call the cops?"

"I didn't call them, I called the Inspector. I was a little vague on the details but… I told him to get as many cars as he could here at," I thought, "I don't know. I said about seven hours after I called. I don't know _when_ they got here. I sent them the location the same way I did with you but with this."

I flipped a small metal piece about the size of a quarter into my hand and dropped it on the floor. I didn't want to keep the tracking chip on me or it would raise questions I couldn't answer.

I watched the night start to fade as dawn came.

"You do realize that now we're going to have to explain everything to them." Hakuba sighed. "I don't think I'm up for that."

"Neither am I," I agreed before letting myself fall to the ground with both detectives still trying to hold onto my arms.

"Kaito-kun?"

Footsteps ran over to us and I felt someone pick me up. They were warm compared to my body and I got comfortable in their arms. It had been a long time since someone had held me like that. "What happened?"

"A lot." I could hear the exhaustion in the detective's voice.

"Hakuba-kun?" Nakamori asked. "Is that you?"

"How I wish it wasn't."

"What's with-? Never mind that! You can explain it to me after! Is anyone else hurt?"

"There are a lot people hurt, yours truly included. I don't know…"

There was a pause in Hakuba's sentence and I opened my eyes to make sure he was okay. If I had enough strength to remain conscious, I could do that much.

He was fine. He was kneeling down near Kudo and discussing what they should do about the whole situation. Hakuba nodded and Kudo got on the phone.

"Kaito-kun." I felt Nakamori shake me and I turned to look at him. The guy wasn't a spring chicken anymore but there wasn't any strain in his arms from keeping me in the air. Adrenaline was a funny thing. "Are you awake?"

"Little," I said sleepily, blinking to keep my eyes open. Now that I was safe I felt bone deep exhaustion run through my body.

"Okay, you're going to be fine. I'm going to-" I watched as he looked at the men around him as if he were searching for one of them in particular. The Inspector's eyes were soft when they looked down at me and I smiled sluggishly in return. "I'm going to take you to the hospital myself."

"'Kay."

"Christ you're bleeding a lot." Nakamori trudged me over to his car and I could tell that Hakuba was following us. Kudo had to remain behind and Hattori wavered on making a decision on whom to follow. He was moved out of my sight before he made up his mind so I didn't know where he went.

"Is he going to be all right until we get there?" Hakuba asked. He was near my head so I couldn't see him.

"How long ago did he get shot?"

The detective, for the first time, was unsure of the time. That worried me.

"Maybe – ah – maybe fifteen minutes ago or a little longer than that."

"Why the hell did you wait so long?" I felt his hands tighten but he took care not to hurt me. "I don't know if–"

I looked back up to meet his eyes but the movement was hard and my head felt heavy. Nakamori was already at his car and Hakuba opened the back door so that they could lie me down. When I was pressed against the seat I could feel that my clothes were just soaked in my blood.

"Hakuba-kun, stay in the back and keep pressure on the wound. Wait a -!" I felt a cold breeze as the detective was drawn away from the side of the door. There was the sound of clothing being ripped. "Your wound's pretty bad too. Try and keep this arm away so that your blood doesn't mix or it might make him sick. God knows he doesn't need that right now."

"I know. Ah!" Hakuba made a noise as something hurt him and I heard cloth rubbing against cloth.

"Hurry and get in!"

As the detective hurried in the car, he tried to force himself into the tiny space between the back seat and the front seat without sitting. The door closed as Nakamori's opened and I felt as the detective pushed his hand onto my stomach.

It really, really hurt.

"Sorry," He apologized to me. I breathed in and out quicker than I had been before. It felt like he was shoving a knife into my gut. "Deal with the pain until we get there."

I tried hard not to twitch at ever motion the car made but it also made the detective's hand move. It got to the point where darkness and pain mixed into one behind my closed eyes.

"Wake up!"

I felt the detective push harder and blood that had been slowly seeping out of my mouth came in a gush and I had to lean over to spit it out.

"Stay awake damn it! If you fall asleep now you won't be waking back up!"

Acknowledging him in any way was out of the question so I just let my head rest sideways and forced my eyes to stay open.

"We're almost there, all right? Just stay awake a little longer."

I looked at Hakuba and, damn it, he was crying again. He never made any outward sound and his voice only shook in the slightest but there were obvious tears in his eyes.

"You can't… get rid… of me… that... easily." Not the best vote of confidence but more than remaining quiet and coughing up blood would give him.

"Right, you can't die yet."

Hakuba smiled at me. As tired and hurt and bleeding and so-beyond-conscious as I was, I smiled back.

In a few minutes the police car pulled up and Hakuba moved out of the way so the Inspector could get me out of the back seat. I fell naturally into the grooves of his arms and let my eyes close, just for a moment.

When he had me out I opened them again so Hakuba wouldn't find more creative ways of keeping me awake. I was surprised when I saw Hattori first. The Osakan was right next to the Inspector as they rushed me in through the doors. I couldn't see the detective.

"This way sir," I heard a woman tell him as soon as he walked in. Then I saw Hakuba with her. All of us were hurried into a room and I was put onto one of those movable beds.

"Can I sleep… now?" I asked the detective with a smile.

"Only if there's no way for you to stay awake."

I fully looked at the detective now. His left sleeve had been ripped and my jacket was tied around his waist. _Good, if he's thinking he should make sure that no one touches that, too much evidence. _Hakuba had two patches where cloth had been torn off and tied around his arm to stop what they could of his own blood flow. HIs right sleeve and hand were covered in blood from where he must have been touching me. He looked anxious and tired but there was a new determination there and a hesitant connection to the detective I knew I wouldn't be able to get rid of.

I saw Hattori leaning angrily against a wall as a nurse went over to him.

"None," I smiled and let my eyes close slowly so I wouldn't have to be awake as the doctors did what they had to do with me.


	32. One of Us

_**Chapter 32: One of Us**_

"Kaito!"

"Ah!" I yelled as someone tried to throw me off the edge of the bed I was laying on. I grabbed the side of it and winced as a new tightness around my waist became known.

I blinked a few times to try and figure out what was going on.

"You stupid idiot! How can you sleep for five days! Even if you were shot, most people wake up in a few hours!"

I looked at her as I tried to make sense out of what she was saying. I was sleeping. Check and emphasis on _was_. I had been shot. Check. All that I could understand without the background knowledge of how it had happened that I was missing.

"You really scared me."

When I looked over, I took the in the sight of the girl for the first time. She had soft brown hair that fell behind her shoulders and there were tears in her blue-violet eyes.

"Aoko," I said numbly. It took a while but memories started to come back, starting with the most recent.

I sat up fully and grabbed her by the wrist before dragging her onto the bed with me. I felt the tightness in my stomach again but ignored it and hugged her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." I felt a pull of something connected into the vain near my wrist.

"Kai-Kaito…" I felt her start crying onto my hospital shirt. It was warm and comforting to have her in my arms. I held her tighter at the thought that I'd almost lost that. We hadn't hugged since we were kids.

"You really scared me. I didn't – I didn't think that you were going to wake up." I rubbed her back as she sobbed, unable to hide anything behind a frown and cold-shoulder this time. "The doctors said that it was a miracle that you were even alive. They said you could have gone into a coma."

"Well I'm awake now, so quit crying." It was hard, but I pulled her away so that I could face her when I spoke. "You look ugly when you cry."

"Kaito!"

I smiled and let out of a small laugh. Her anger quickly died away and we were left smiling at each other.

"How are the others?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Ah, you mean Hakuba-kun?"

"Hakuba and Hattori-kun, or did he go back to Osaka?"

Aoko shook her head. "No, they're both here still. Hakuba-kun needs to stay for therapy. One of the bullets that hit him injured a major muscle so he can't move his arm very well. I'm not sure about the other guy."

"How are you?" I asked her. "Have you been here long?"

"Dad called me when he said you were hurt. I've been here since then. No one will tell me what happened, and they said that I shouldn't ask you."

"That would be five days then right?" I smirked. "You must stink!"

"Kaito, did you think I would be able to leave when I didn't know if – if …" Her words faded into her thoughts and I fell backwards onto the bed, leaving her sitting on one of my legs and looking down on me.

"You can go home now if you want to. I'm sure your dad's been missing you."

Aoko frowned. "He just saw me ten minutes ago, so I don't think that he's been lonely. We've both been staying across the street in case – in case something happened."

"Your dad's here?" I couldn't hide my surprise. He was a cop and he had his work at stake. Cops couldn't take leave as easily as most. "Why?"

"Because your dad couldn't be." Aoko smiled and placed her hand on my other leg since she couldn't reach me. She tried to slowly get out of my lap now that I wasn't holding her. She got as far as the edge of the bed and just sat there. "Your mom's been scared too."

I let my smile fall and closed my eyes. At least everyone made it out alive and was in fair condition.

For now.

I had to speak to Kudo when I got the chance. They could still go after me as Kid if they thought I had been involved and Hakuba was easy enough to find if they decided he'd seen too much after all. These people didn't seem the type to let sleeping dogs lie.

"Kaito?"

I twitched when Aoko reached up and touched the side of my stomach. I couldn't mask the reaction in the least and knew I'd have to desensitize myself so that I wouldn't respond if anyone touched me there in the future.

"What?" I asked sleepily.

"Nothing," she sighed with a sad smile. "It's just. You'll wake up again soon, won't you?"

"Who says I'm tired?" I opened my eyes fully. It was clear that Aoko had been emotionally stretched these last few days and I could stay awake if I had to. Now that I was set on staying up, my body told me it was hungry.

I sighed. "I can't eat anything good can I?"

"Nope!" Aoko replied with a satisfactory smile. "I'm sure you can't."

"Kuroba-kun?" Hakuba peeked in around the corner, through the curtain that separated my room from the rest of the hospital. "Finally awake, I see."

"Yeah and I'm _hungry!_" I proclaimed to him, throwing my arms over my head and seeing the bandages that were wrapped around my wrists for the first time. I got them half-way up before my collarbone hurt and I placed them behind my head, near my ears, so it wasn't obvious that I was being stupid and hurting myself.

"That's nothing new." Hakuba searched around before sitting in the chair that Aoko had been in. I watched as his left arm hung motionless at his side.

"How's the arm?" I asked.

"I can move my fingers, but that's it. The doctors say that with some treatment, I'll be able to have the full motion of it back in two or three months. The way I see it, it's a good excuse not to participate in gym for a while. It will give my time to catch up on my schoolwork."

"Oh yeah, I've still got homework to do too!" I moved one of my hands to cover my face. If saving people's lives wasn't enough, I had to take the educational systems preordained curriculum into account when I was done. They should give a guy some slack.

"You'll be stuck sitting still for a while anyway so it will give you something to do to pass the time. Your collarbone won't heal for at least two months and I'm sure that stomach wound is going to need special care was well. It would be a shame if you started with your antics again too soon and hurt yourself. You should rest for now."

There was almost a threat in his last words.

"I don't plan on doing anything like that." _Then again, when had things gone according to plan recently?_ I smiled and Hakuba caught my malicious thoughts, even though he couldn't pinpoint what they were.

"At least keep them at a minimum then. Heaven knows the staff at the hospital will soon want you gone when you're well enough to cause trouble. I doubt they'd want you here for repeated visits."

"What a shame. I was really starting to like the atmosphere here. Just the right touch of gloomy and hopeful."

"Kaito! DO NOT go putting yourself in the hospital again!" Aoko tightened her grip painfully on my leg.

"Ow! I was kidding. Kidding! Let go!"

I pulled my leg away from her and was getting used to the foreign numbness in my middle that accompanied most of my movements. "You know I hate being forced to sit still!"

Aoko looked at me coldly. "I can never tell when you're serious or not."

"That's not my fault that you're a klutzy and unobservant girl."

"Kaito!" Aoko got up and walked to the door. "I'll let my dad know you're awake. Maybe – _if I feel like it_ – I'll ask them to bring you something to drink." She vanished out of the curtain and I heard a door close.

"You got her mad on purpose." Hakuba crossed his arms and looked at me. "Why?"

"I wanted to know a few things. Starting with our story on why we were there and how we all were injured."

"The FBI took care of that. I talked with one of them, a man in his later years, though he didn't give me his real name. He assured me that he'd keep everything away from the police. They didn't ask about the rest of you but I had to tell them about the case and the children." Hakuba smiled. "They think you and Hattori-kun are just a bunch of idiots in the wrong place, at the wrong time. So don't worry, they don't know anything about you."

"I didn't think you would tell them even if they had asked." I let my head fall back again. "Maybe I trust you more than I thought."

"Or maybe you didn't care about the consequences of helping me."

"That could have been part of it. You know how I don't like to think things through." I heard the detective sigh and winked at him. "So, what happened to the kids?"

"Hisa-chan was sent to her family. The FBI has taken all of them under their care but I've sent Kei-chan to my house. Kei told me that you said you'd bring her to her father and I haven't been able to contact him so Baaya's been watching her in secret."

"What do you mean you can't contact him?"

Hakuba brushed through his hair as he thought about another way to word whatever it was he was trying to tell me. "I spoke with Conan-kun. The man, Narawari Kousuke, has been missing for three days now. We don't think –"

The detective didn't have to finish. _They thought the man was dead._

"Why would they kill him?" My words were whisper quiet but held such anger that I was amazed to hear my own voice come out so low.

"We think he was trying to get at the organization while we were keeping Kei safe. He wanted to protect her. Maybe he got too close. There's no way of knowing but the chances of him being alive are almost zero."

"But there's a chance?"

Hakuba's expression told me everything. _No, there wasn't._ He was a detective so he had to go by facts and state probabilities but we both knew better.

"So what do we do with Kei-chan then? I don't want to take her back to her mother." I felt for the girl. That woman didn't care about her and she deserved someone who did.

"You have to take her back. As Kid and when you're feeling up to it, so that you don't implicate anyone." I was about to fight him on it when Hakuba held up his hand. "I know how you feel about doing this. I feel the same way. There's no other option."

I nodded. If Hakuba hadn't found any legal loopholes I wasn't about to use illegal means if it meant Kei's life would be harder.

"Where is Conan-kun? And Hattori-kun for that matter as well."

"They're both at Mouri-san's house right now. Hattori-kun only stayed because Conan-kun had the misfortune of getting himself involved in another case the day after we were all treated. He should be leaving soon."

"He gets all the bad luck, so it doesn't surprise me."

"Kuroba-kun."

"Yeah?" I asked after a few seconds of the detective's silence.

"Conan-kun he… he's not normal is he?"

"I don't think any of us are normal," I laughed.

"That's not what I mean." Hakuba was silent. This time it stretched out so long that I wasn't sure if I was supposed to agree with him or not.

"Just because something seems impossible, doesn't mean that it is. I've seen that enough with you." He rested his hand on the arm rest and stared down at the floor. "The only difference is that I can find out how your tricks are done, I can find your props and vantage points and deception. His aren't as transparent."

"Magic isn't real Hakuba." I'd said the same thing to Nakamori once too.

"I know that." He stood up to take the place Aoko had on the edge of my bed so that he could see me better. "I'm as certain of that truth as I am the fact that the earth is round and that rain is wet. I'm also fairly certain of the fact that, somehow, Conan-kun and Kudo-kun are the same person."

Remaining silent in front of that accusation would have been a dead giveaway but I couldn't say anything on the contrary without lying to Hakuba, which I'd promised myself not to do. _Kudo was going to kill me._

"What makes you so sure?"

Hakuba raised an eyebrow. "Besides the fact that, not only do Hattori-kun and I treat him as our equal, but so does the notorious thief who's so keen on keeping everyone out of his life and yet he calls this boy in the middle of the night for help?"

"Yeah, besides all that," I smiled.

"The rest of the pieces were obvious. The boy is too intelligent and too calm in the face of danger; as if he's seen it all before. He knows too much and has ties to too many that normal people wouldn't have. I don't know exactly what is going on with him but I'm certain that he is Kudo-kun." Hakuba shrugged partially with how much he could move of his arm. "The fact that Hattori-kun kept shouting his name helped solidify everything."

"Did you confront him?"

"Of course. I'm a very curious person." Hakuba laughed. "I asked if he was Kudo-kun and he ran to hide behind Ran-san."

"And you left it at that?" I asked. "You didn't go back up to him and demand an answer?"

"It's something that I once held with you. The ability to deny the truth, as obvious as it is, as long as I have no proof. I know what I know. I don't need him to admit to it."

"He never will." I had never gotten Kudo to admit to anything more than replying whenever I called his name. Again, he would be able to deny it by making some excuse or another. I'd pieced everything together the same way Hakuba had so I didn't have any proof either.

"I'm hungry!"

The detective jumped when I sat upright in a heartbeat and slammed my hands onto the bed.

"Damn it Kuroba! With how much we've been through, I'm not too fond of sudden movements at the moment."

"Sorry," I grinned. "I wasn't really trying to scare you. I'm hungry."

"Yes, I heard."

"I'll handle Kei-chan when I get out then. We'll have to talk to Conan-kun too, just to make sure… we're safe. In the meantime," I sighed. "I guess we'll both have to work on all those stupid class assignments that have been piling up this last week or so."

"That doesn't sound like fun to you? A nice, straightforward pastime sounds like heaven."

"Only you could find fun in homework."

"Kaito!" My mom drew back the curtain and I jumped, not hearing her open the door. She walked swiftly over to my bedside and sat down. Hakuba attempted to get up and out of the way but, as one hand hugged me, the other held the detective firmly in place. "I'm so happy you're awake."

"Well, I'd say 'me too' but I too tired," I laughed.

My mom messed up my hair and I felt as it started sticking back up like it should have been. Being asleep for so long had made bits and pieces lay flat while the rest tried to stay disobedient. It felt nice to have my hair back that way. Natural.

"So?" I asked Hakuba, now that the question had come to me. "How did you get the contacts out?"

I actually saw him blush. Mom laughed and messed up his hair just like she had mine. Hakuba had more if it though, and it looked like someone wacked him with a pillow a few times when she was done. He sheepishly straightened the sides out.

"I helped him with that." Mom's easy laugh made me smile. "So, how are you Kaito?"

"I'm fine, just hungry," I told her in a groan.

"Don't be such a baby, Kaito. If you think you're old enough to take on that many skilled killers then you shouldn't have any problem waiting to eat."

I narrowed my eyes at the detective and Hakuba looked down as the white bedding caught his attention.

"And how did you know what I was doing?" I asked mom. She looked between the two of us before shaking her head.

"My other son had to tell me because one of them was being stupid."

Both of us were taken aback by her wording and she laughed. "Hakuba-kun, I heard from Kaito that you're not living with your father. If you ever want to visit us, feel free. We can always use the extra company and you know how easily my son gets bored."

"Hey!" I complained. "How am I supposed to work with Hakuba over?"

"Oh!" Hakuba raised his head now. "I didn't tell you, did I? I don't plan on working with the police anymore. I'll assist division one but division two is all in Nakamori-keibu's hands now."

_Hakuba was going to stop chasing me? That wouldn't be any fun. _

But it meant I wouldn't have to hide from him anymore either. So many new tricks for the classroom came to me now that I wouldn't be implicated as Kid if I pulled them off.

"Kaito-kun stop smiling like that." Hakuba put a hand up to his mouth as he realized he called me by my first name. "Sorry! Your mother was just speaking and I – I apologize."

My mom and I started laughing at how flushed the detective was. It was funny. I never thought that Hakuba would make a mistake like that and I hadn't even caught it until a few seconds later.

"There's nothing to worry about," I batted my eyes. "I don't mind if you call me Kaito."

"Kuroba-kun if you tell anyone I did that I'm going to kill you."

We laughed again because he didn't get that I was joking with him. He turned his face away so we couldn't see how flushed he was.

"You're both crazy," Hakuba said. One of the truest facts out there about the Kuroba family – we _were_ all crazy, to an extent at least.

"Well, mom just initiated you as one of our family so that makes you crazy too!" I laughed.

Hakuba had nothing to say back to that so we let ourselves calm down, me and my mom finished laughing and the detective got some of his composed detachment back.

"What did I miss?" Aoko asked, coming in the room with her dad. Mom wasn't fast enough to catch Hakuba before he ran away this time and he took a position against the wall in front of us.

"You seem lively. Good thing too or we'd have to pay that hotel an insane amount of money again for such a small room. Damn greedy pigs." Nakamori remained behind Aoko as they both came over. "It's good to see you awake. I haven't been around you while you were quiet since-" Nakamori paused as he thought. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you quiet before now."

"And with good reason," I declared. "I bet being here was really boring while I was asleep. Now that I'm up, let's get out of here."

There was an outburst of '_oh, no you don't'_, '_not so fast;'_ and several other versions that came from each person in the room at once.

Everyone was silent for a moment before they started laughing.

"Okay, well you won't be getting out for at least four days. The doctors want you to stay until you're able to eat solid foods before they send you home," the Inspector informed me.

"_Four days?"_ I moaned out loud. _They expected me to sit in this bed for four days? _"Give me food now, then! I'll eat it!" I waved my hands. "Then I can go home."

"Oh no Kaito! You're going to listen to the doctors!" Aoko shoved a container of juice into my hand. "You've got to drink first before you get food or you'll get sick!"

"Says who? They just say that so that so that they can keep you longer!" I opened the juice anyway. I was thirsty.

"Oh Kaito, by the way," my mom reached over to get something she had in a bag. "I'm only warning you once"

I spat out the little juice I had in my mouth, and backed up as fast as I could, being confined to the bed and having nowhere to go. The juice packet in my hand remained intact but my mind went out the window.

"Do not do anything like that again!" mom waved a realistic looking flounder in my face. I could see the plastic shine to it but damn if it didn't look like a real fish. Stuffed toys I could handle, _most of the time, _but why the hell did companies _want_ to make their toys look so real? Who wants to play with something like that?

She rested it against my nose when I couldn't back further into the headrest. I could feel the sweat running down my face and I tried to lower my nose so it wouldn't touch me.

"Gotcha mom. Won't happen again."

"Good." She tapped me on the head with it and a shudder ran through my body before she put it back in the bag where its fishiness could do no harm.

"Why are you so afraid of fish?" The detective looked down at me. No one else in the room was surprised by the fact. I'd had the phobia ever since I was a child and Nakamori knew from past dinners. Aoko, thank whomever was looking out for me, hadn't learned of it until recently since I'd hidden it from her.

"How should I know? They're gross, so it's not like it's strange if I don't want to be near them," o_r their likeness, or their smell, or those deep pitiless eyes._

"Come to think of it, I didn't notice you were afraid of them until sometime after your fifth birthday." My mom drummed her leg as she thought. "I don't think you were scared of them before that. We used to go to the ocean all the time while your father traveled."

"It not like you can see the f-fish when you're swimming. Maybe I didn't realize I was afraid of them until you tried to feed me one," I suggested. My memory was good but it didn't go _that_ far back.

Mom shook her head. "I think it was around the time when Yukiko-san and Sharon-san kept visiting us. I can't think of what would have scared you so much though."

"I don't want to think about it, Mom. You go remember on your own time. I'm firmly putting all thoughts of – those things – out of my mind!"

Neither of the names my mom mentioned to me sounded familiar anyway and if I'd been five, I wouldn't be able to recall them.

"Kuroba-kun you look tired. If you need to get more sleep we could leave."

Hakuba's voice stunned everyone for a moment since he'd been standing in the back and out of sight. I was almost to the point where I was so exhausted I was no longer tired but I knew if I closed my eyes I would be out in seconds.

I didn't try to hide the fact from everyone else in the room. I _was_ tried and I did want them to let me sleep.

"Okay, Kaito. I'll be here when you wake up." My mom put a hand on my shoulder and got off the bed. Aoko smiled and waved to me as she followed my mom out of the room.

Nakamori stayed back and Hakuba took a hesitant step towards the door before stopping and remaining in the room with us.

"Kaito-kun." The Inspector looked to the side as he thought, before looking back to meet my eyes. "I've been hustled around as it is and kept in the dark about everything that happened, but I'd like to know what you could tell me. The only thing I know it I get this mysterious phone call from the Kid and the next thing I know I find you bleeding in my arms. If we-" he huffed out a breath "If _I _had gotten there sooner, went in, I could have made a difference. Both your and Hakuba-kun's wounds were fresh. _Why the hell did I listen to him and stay outside?" _The Inspector clenched his fists together so hard he could have bent steel.

"You would have only made things worse. You did the right thing." I made sure he was looking at me to see I was telling the truth. "I can't tell you why, but being there, outside, was the best thing you could have done."

"So if I had sent my men in you would have still been hurt?" I heard the doubt in her voice just under the anger.

"No, we wouldn't have been _hurt,_" I said steadily, "We would have been killed. As you, or any of your men, would have as well."

"Killed? Why would someone want to kill a bunch of kids?"

I shook my head and smiled. "I can't tell you."

"Well-" he scratched the back of his neck. "As long as I know it would have been a bad thing to go in. I was starting to think –" Nakamori shook his head. "Nothing. Get some sleep."

"Thank you," I called to him as he pushed the curtain aside. Even if I hadn't given him the answers he wanted, the man had still stayed here, must have risked a pay cut at the very least, to make sure I was all right.

"Any time, Kaito-kun. Just make sure that next time you don't scare Aoko so badly."

Then he was gone and I was left feeling strangely happy. He wasn't my dad but he didn't seem to mind taking up the role when he needed to.

"I didn't envision the two of you being so close," Hakuba told me as he walked beside my bed.

"I knew Nakamori-keibu's before I knew Kaitou Kid, or at least before I was aware of him. He's a good guy."

"Yes, he is."

"Are you sure you're not going to chase me anymore?" I asked him.

"Maybe just for the fun of it but nothing serious." He smirked, "I still do like a challenge and there are some of your tricks that I haven't quite figured out yet."

"As if you'll be able to," I snorted. "I'm so good you'll never see me coming."

"I hope that I'm not the only one you'll remain invisible to. Kaitou Kid had made a lot of very deadly enemies now." The somber change in conversation made me remember everything that had happened. I hadn't even been able to get justice for those who had killed Kane. In fact, I'd let one of them off scot-free, _on purpose._

That would be bothering me for a while but I would have done it over and over if given the chance. That woman was cold-blooded but there was fragility there, a fear that was almost completely hidden away. I'd only caught a glace of it, but not enough to tell what her intentions were.

"I've got so much to do when I get out!" I moaned and closed my eyes.

"Then get some sleep, you'll need it."

* * *

There are (technically) only two chapters left! Thanks to everyone for reading!


	33. From One to Another

_Fact About The Story_: because the name doesn't look it, Kei's mother's name is pronounced (KEER- ah) Kind of got the idea form Deathnote.  
It literally means 'dark' and is Gaelic.

* * *

_**Chapter 33: From One to Another**_

I was in the hospital for the entire four days. It had even taken some coaxing and reassurances from my mom to get them to release me after they were over. The wound was closed up, and anything too acrobatic was out of the question for a while, but I could move freely on my own without any pain.

I left behind a trail of angry first floor doctors and some of the people on the second floor with me cheered as I left. I had to be good to my neighbors after all so the people downstairs had gotten most of my wrath. Upstairs, I had performed. Downstairs I had pranked. But magic, after all, helps the healing process, even if it turns your apple juice neon pink.

One elderly lady who'd been two rooms down from mine came out to say goodbye. We both knew she didn't have long but we smiled at each other anyways. Her family members were there for her so I wasn't worried.

Upon leaving, feeling the fresh air fill my nose and, knowing that I wouldn't have to smell the cleanliness of the hospital again – at least, I hoped not for a while – I felt like a dog kept on too short a leash and finally let free.

I'd gone to Kudo's first.

Of course I'd taken the bus instead of the hang glider since it '_might have injured me', _and Kudo had the audacity not to be there when I showed up. Knowing him, he was off on a case so I waited inside the detective's office for them to get back. It was easy enough to pick the lock.

I heard them coming long before they made it to the door and I hid out of sight when they entered. Mouri was being loud and rude as usual but he was in a good mood, most likely from having 'solved' another case. I couldn't see how Kudo could stand letting the man take all the credit.

"That's strange," Ran said to herself. "I was sure I locked the door before we left."

"Maybe you just forgot Ran-neechan. It's not like there's anything here to steal." Kudo glanced around the room, trying to spot me, and I knew leaving the door unlocked was the easiest way to catch his attention.

My hiding spot wasn't too original since I couldn't keep my chest bent for a long period of time. I was actually just behind the door. I slipped out, almost unnoticed.

Almost.

"Ran-neechan I have to use the bathroom." Kudo sure knew how to lay on the cute routine when he had to.

"That's fine. Make sure you wash your hands and I'll start dinner."

"Okay!"

I was walking up the stairs to Mouri's bedroom before Kudo was at the door. I heard his quiet footsteps as he followed behind me.

"So what do you want?" The small detective asked when I sat on the bed.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to know what you thought of Hakuba, now that the organization didn't kill him. Will he be safe?"

"Couldn't you have just called?" Kudo asked with irritation.

"No because it would have made it easier for you to lie to me." I smirked. "I do my best work face to face when I'm trying to get under someone's skin and into their minds."

"Whatever." Kudo sat on the floor. "As for Hakuba-kun, I think he should be fine. Oji-san's been in their sights before and gotten away alive. As long as Hakuba-kun doesn't draw their attention to him, I think they'll leave him alone."

"'_He should,' 'I think._' That doesn't sound very convincing."

"What do you want me to say? I can't be sure what these people will do. They're unpredictable, they're dangerous, and some of them are downright murderous for no reason. You can't expect me to be able to tell what their movements will be."

"Sorry," I apologized. Kudo had been trying his best and if that wasn't enough, he'd even risked his life by coming after me.

"Like I said, Hakuba-kun should be fine. You on the other hand, I'm worried about."

I nodded.

"You know how easy it would be for them to pick you off with a sniper? The blame for your murder then could lay with anyone and the syndicate would have no trouble keeping themselves out of suspicion."

"I know," I growled. I didn't need to be told any of that. As far as easy targets go, Kaitou Kid was hard to miss.

"If– " Kudo sighed and looked up at me. "If you run into any more trouble with them, I guess I'll help you."

"I'd appreciate it but I think I know everything that you do about them at this point. Any further help from you will be unnecessary."

"Do not underestimate me Kuroba-kun." His eyes shone brightly with iron resolve and a power that showed he wasn't one to be messed with. Kudo could be a helpful ally if I ever found myself in need of one again.

"I'll take that into consideration."

Kudo nodded and left the room. "If you need anything – anything that doesn't have to do with you stealing – you're free to come to me too. I hate working on murder cases with you pushing me along."

"I'll make sure you know it's me in the future then. You usually catch on quickly enough."

Another nod and Kudo left the room.

I was still on the bed and sighed. The next thing on my to-do list was to drop off Kei-chan. Neither of us was looking forward to that.

…

Kei and I were in mom's car. Or dad's car, if was telling the truth. With some manual labor and removing the portrait along with bits and pieces of the vehicle, I'd been able to get it out. It ran fine and the exterior was in good condition because it had been indoors. The white finish was perfect and it had comfortable seats that you could sink into that felt better than the newer cars, with the ridge posture and extreme colors. I liked the inside grayer tones of the car as well and it just felt like – home.

At least it had a purpose now.

I'd snatched up her keys when I realized the next train wasn't for half-an-hour and was expected to be crowded. They would be my keys when I was legally able to drive.

"Kaito-niichan," I heard Kei cry from beside me. "I don't want to go home. You said you'd take me to daddy."

"I know." I patted her hair down and closed up my mind rather easily. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise to you but you're daddy's missing. If I don't take you back to your mom, I'll get in a lot of trouble."

"I could stay with you."

The same thought had crossed my mind several times, which was where she probably picked it up. There were flaws with that as well though. Since I was in school and mom was working, there would be no one home to watch her. We could change her name like Kudo had done and put her in school as well but – I didn't want to intentionally put someone through that and there would be a lot of questions flying around our house.

"I'm sorry." I kept my hand on her head and she didn't pull away. She was a smart girl and understood more than most people who were more than three times her age.

"You can still come see me sometimes, right?" Kei looked up at me with a pleading look on her face. If her mother had gone to the trouble of going to Mouri for help, then she'd likely put in new security features.

That would be fun. Kei caught my smile.

"Sure I'll come see you, just don't tell anyone."

"I won't." Kei seemed happier now that I'd said that. With all the promises to her that I had broken in the short time that I knew her, her trust was more than I deserved.

"You tried your best so Kei's not mad" she told me, suddenly referring to herself in third person. "And Kei's happy that Kaito-niichan didn't die."

"I'm happy that _neither _of us died." I messed up her matching hair and Kei fell into the seat, giggling. I'd dyed the bleach out of mine first thing when I got home.

The three-year-old's spirits dampen when we came close to her house. I parked off on another streeet that wasn't as busy as the one Kei's mother lived on so that no one would identify me with the car, since mom still needed to get it registered. Dad had been nice enough to leave the title where I could find it.

It didn't take me long to change into my clothes and I reached out to the other seat for Kei.

She hesitated before getting up and walking into my arms.

"Promise to come on my birthday too. It's soon."

"Sure I'll come. What day?" I smiled. She held up one finger.

"December. Don't forget about me." Kei put her arms above her head and allowed me to pick her up.

"I won't" I reassured her. There were plenty of things that could delay me from coming but nothing could stop me.

I snuck around to the other side of the house. Holding Kei felt like biting back fire from the pain in my collarbone. That assured me that the glider would be out for the next few weeks and I'd have to find some other way to escape the police. No injury was going to keep me from doing my job.

"I can walk" she told me.

"No, I'm fine. Just don't move around too much."

I made it through the gate, the sensors that the woman had recently planted in the ground, and to the back door without being seen. I picked the lock and entered with Kei, even though I'd prefer to have entered from one of the high widows.

The house was remarkably silent. I went through the large rooms, one by one, looking for _someone._

It took fifteen minutes before I found her upstairs, in what I could only assume to be Kane's room.

Dark blue bed sheets on a twin sized bed told of one smaller occupant. The room was painted a sky blue and the carpet was light brown. Small toys littered the floor and shelves in a disordered fashion, books strewed about but not numerous enough to make it look too cluttered. The scattered objects didn't match the boy's perfectionist and simplistic nature, so it was more than likely the work of his mother after his death.

Said woman was currently on the floor and swirling a hand through a plastic box of smaller toys – a Lego caught my eye – that were too small to put with the others.

I knocked on the side of the wall to get her attention. Kei clutched my shirt when I did and I could feel her shake with tears, though she made no noise.

Ciara spun around at the noise and her face was blank. After a few seconds of taking me and her daughter in, she got to her feet slowly and with the grace of a drunk.

Unpredictable was the right word for this woman. I hadn't been able to stop her when she'd gone after Hattori, the same as I wasn't able to predict her now, when her wavy movements cut off and she ran at me.

Years of people chasing me allowed me to react. I backed up out of the room but was left with running down either end of the hallway. That pause gave me the second to remember that I didn't _want_ to run away.

"Give her back!" Ciara put her arms around her daughter and I held my breath as her hand ran over my chest so I wouldn't make any sound. I still wasn't comfortable with people touching close to the area. I let go of Kei willingly and even the girl knew that it wasn't a good idea to hold on, so her mother had her in her arms in seconds.

"Stay away from us!" The woman yelled, gasping and holding Kei so tightly that I knew it had to be hard for the little girl to breathe.

I put a hand up to my hat and lowered my head in a farewell gesture. "I told you I was just holding onto her for safekeeping. As I promised, she has been returned to you."

The woman lifted her head up just enough to look at me. I titled my own towards her one more time and took a few steps away.

Once my back was turned I purposely slowed to see what her reaction would be. It was clear she treated Kei as more of an object of her husband's then her own daughter. With her husband gone, I hadn't even been sure she wanted the girl back until she showed her forcefulness in reclaiming her.

"Ke-ei." She held the little girl out in front of her, fingers tight around her upper arms. "Don't you ever -" She shook her roughly to get her point across "EVER, leave this house again!"

"But mommy!"

"SHUSH" The woman shook her harder and Kei tried to keep her head from hitting the wall behind her.

I stopped and every part of me wanted to take the girl back. This was _not _what she needed. Ciara was her mother though, and I had no legal reason to take her away.

"But -" Kei tried once again but Ciara took her hand and placed it in front of Kei's mouth so that she couldn't speak.

"You'll do what I say. I'm the one who took you in and raised you so listen to me. I'll keep you home. You'll have a tutor and everything. There will be no reason for you to ever leave this house again."

I could hear Kei crying by the sniffling sounds. I doubted her mother knew I was still there, even though we were only three meters from each other. I cursed myself at the inadequacy of my presence.

"Kei, let's go to your room. I'm sure you've missed it." Ciara stood up and took Kei by the wrist.

"Ow mommy, you're hurting me." Kei took her other hand and tried to free herself from her mother but her fingers were too small and she was too young to fight back.

"Kei!" The woman bent down and slapped the girl to keep her from complaining. "Do as you're told!"

That was it; I couldn't stand by any longer.

Adrenaline was a funny thing. I ran over to both of them and easily released the woman's grasp. Kei was back in my arms and crying into my shoulder and I never felt any pain.

"You said you'd give her back!" The woman yelled, coming at me and trying to recover her daughter.

"I did give her back. You have done nothing but abuse and threaten this treasure of yours so I'm taking her somewhere she can shine. I told you I'd take her for safekeeping and it seems it's still not safe."

As calm and collected as my words sounded, I wanted nothing more than to strike her for what she'd just been doing. The violent thought was easy to restrain but it had been there.

"You can't do that! Give her back!" Ciara lunged at me but it was easy to avoid her. The woman's movements were quick and frantic which made them easy to steer clear of. I was slower with the girl in my hands but dodged most of her strikes and, when I couldn't, I used my arm and grabbed her outstretched hand to swing her around me.

One of the doors off to the side opened and I ran in before looking to see why it had moved.

The woman pounded on the other side and screamed at me while I took in the room and locked the door behind me.

I was more than a little surprised to see Kudo there.

"It was easy to follow your car after you left. Doctor Agasa had no problem, what with your erratic diving and all."

"You followed me?" I sat on the ground, because the pain was coming back and because it was easier to speak with Kudo when we were at the same eye level. "Why?"

"Kei-chan's been with Ran this whole time. They'd been talking with each other for a while and some of the stuff she heard sounded… bad. I followed you in case something like this happened." Kudo held up a small video camera and tossed me the tape that was inside. "Child services should have no trouble taking Kei-chan in. I avoided getting you in the shot so there's nothing to worry about."

"Thank you." I started at him wide eyed. I hadn't thought about getting evidence against Ciara or even the fact that the woman could have reacted in such a violent way.

"I didn't do it for you, I did it for her." Kudo shrugged. "I've already done you enough favors."

"So" I mumbled, looking back at the door where the woman continued to scream. "How are we getting out of here?"

"I thought that was your area of expertise" Kudo smirked.

"Do you think I could do anything right now? I only got out of the hospital today and they didn't even want to let me go." I sighed. I'd have to try climbing down a rope. It would hurt, but there was no way around it. Kane's room, after all, had been on the third floor.

I produced the line and the hook that would latch onto the window without leaving a mark because it had curved rubber tips instead of iron. Kudo went down first.

I looked blankly at the twine when Kudo reached the bottom and knew I'd have to go down sooner or later. I put Kei on my back and she found a way to hold onto my hair without pulling it too much so that she wouldn't touch my shoulder or lose her balance. She weighed so little that I wouldn't make much of a difference.

I again, started at the rope. Better get this over with.

It was so much more painful than I thought it would be. I swung over the side and, when my full weight was on it, I thought I might pass out. I don't know how long I stayed trying to catch my breath and remain conscious but I was aware of Kei's hand brushing the side of my face and hair like a cat.

"Better?" She asked.

"No" I grunted out, "But we've got to get down."

I let the rope go slowly between my fingers instead of using my arms to move downward. The gloves protected me from tearing my skin off and gravity was free.

When I reached the bottom I quickly let go and sat in the grass as Kei got off of me.

"Don't move," Kudo ordered me as he came in front of me to loosen my tie and unbutton my shirt so that he could look to the break. I winced when he touched me but was more focused on breathing.

"You've probably damaged it more but the break is still clean and should heal."

I nodded. Good, I hadn't handicapped myself any more then I already was.

"It would be a good idea to wait those two months before using a rope. You can try the glider in a few weeks since you won't need to use your shoulder as much."

"Thanks doctor," I said with a smile.

"Shut up." Kudo walked away from me. "Just make sure you get the girl somewhere safe."

"Ay yai," I called to him.

Kei came over to me and curled up in my lap. She was crying.

I ran my finger gently across her cheek where her mother slapped her and said nothing. Kei knew very well how much I was worried about her without me having to speak. I was going to make sure that she was safe this time. Remembering Nakamori and Aoko coming to visit me when I was in the hospital, how caring they'd both been when they weren't even related to me, made me hate Kei's mother all the more. How could she hurt her daughter like that? Sure Kei wasn't blood but she was still her daughter.

Kei caught my attention by pulling on my coat. "We should leave before mommy looks for us."

"You're right, what am I thinking?" I got up with her and pulled the rope off of the building. I wound it up and put it in my pocket. Crying must have tired the girl out since she promptly fell asleep in my arms while I was doing this. The sun was setting so she should get some sleep.

"I know just where to take you." I messed with her hair. "These people will be able to care for you until child services can get involved. I'll make sure the organization isn't after you ever again either."

_Somehow. _

I got back to the car and set her down in the back seat where I put the seatbelt over her to keep her from rolling around too much. When I opened the front I saw a large stack of papers.

I smiled.

…

Once I'd set everything in motion I used the glider from a nearby building to get up to Nakamori's window. It wouldn't do to walk through his house just like any normal person. It was dark now and I didn't stand out against the white of their house.

I found the man on his bed, going through old pictures.

A small movement of my arm and I had his window opened, since he never kept it locked. I got in and stood up straight before he noticed me.

"Hello Nakamori-keibu" I forced a smile across my lips but couldn't find the patience to do more. The glider didn't hurt as bad as I thought but it gave me a headache again.

"Kid?" his surprise at my unusual appearance didn't even help to ease my temper. I'd have to stay away from everyone for a while or I'd lose any friendships I may have made. Kei's mother still let a bad taste in my mouth, especially when I was staring at a man who was one-hundred times the better parent then she had showed herself to be.

I at least gave him the courtesy of a small bow, and when I lifted my head his surprise had turned to fury. My own loathing would have far outshone his if I'd stop letting it fester. "Keibu, I'm afraid I'm not here on business."

His steps were tenuous at first, like I was some wild beast he was afraid to approach too quickly. Considering I was still at his second story window and could disappear at a moment's notice, I could see why he was being hesitant. "I would prefer having a mature conversation with you rayher than our usual bout of insults, if you please."

"Sure I'll have a conversation with you" I saw the gleam in his eyes and sighed before he lunged at me. "Once I've caught you!"

It was hard to bite down on my instincts to run with how much I was already suppressing. I smiled widely and turned to his distrustful expression when he realized he actually had my arm in his hands.

"You've caught me. Do you mind if we had that little chat now Nakamori-keibu?"

"What are you playing at Kid?" he growled under his breath.

"Nothing Inspector," I shrugged my free arm absentmindedly "I just have a rather difficult problem that, circumstances aside, I can only ask your help with."

"Why the hell would I help you!"

"It's not for me, Keibu." I reached inside my coat pocket to get the papers I needed and his hands constricted painfully enough that I had to stop. I took my hand back and left it in the air to show him I hadn't retrieved anything. "I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm just getting the evidence if you decide to help."

"Like hell you bastard!"

I guess I'd been growing used to the detectives taking my side. I had to remember that things weren't going to be like that anymore and Nakamori wasn't someone I should expect to get favors from easily.

"Keibu" I sighed. "What would you like me to do then? I can get away from you in seconds and a criminal will go free, or you can use the information I give you and become a hero." I smiled widely again, though I could see he knew it was forced. "Either way I'm getting out of here when this is over."

"Damn it to hell! Who says I can't arrest you right now? You're still one less criminal off the street and you're a damned nuisance. Your names been cleared of the murders so there's nothing stopping me now!"

I hadn't even given a second thought about that in some time. It seemed Nakamori and Hattori-san had pulled it off. I knew they couldn't have found the real criminals, but at least my name still clean.

"Do you really think you'd catch me that easily?" With my words I slide my arm out of his hands and let it rest calmly at my side. In the next instant I had the papers out of my pocket, placed them on the man's desk, not three feet off to my side, and was back where I'd originally been, leaning against the window frame. "You'll find the girl in your living room."

"Girl?" He blinked a few times in confusion as his brain tried to process the information along with tracking my movements that were almost too quick to be human.

"Yes and I'm afraid that she's in some dire need of a strong parental figure at the moment." This time I let some honest humor find its way into my voice. "I think we can both agree that I don't fit that bill."

"What happened?" It looked like the Inspector was going to take the time to hear me out. His attitude towards me hadn't changed but now there was a little girl in the picture and damn, Nakamori was still a detective. I could practically see the mystery eating away at him. And before even that he was a father. I let my feelings towards him be shown more then I should have but I couldn't help it.

"Her name is Kei-chan. I've given you false papers with a fake name but I think she'd like it if you called her that." I went back to the table, slowly this time, and lifted the heavier set of files that Kudo had given me. I recognized them right away when I'd seen them on the car seat.

"Everything you need is here. She can't go back to her family anymore." My tone was steady and I hadn't meant to sound so forceful but my hate was sneaking out, as my mind replayed images in my head I would rather not relive. I tried to force calm back through my body but I wasn't fooling either of us. I would have to leave before the last few threads keeping me smiling snapped. I placed the video cassette on the table as well. "This is why."

"I'm not in favor of kidnapping. You're going to have to give me a reason why I should keep her here and not bring her back to her real parents."

"That'd be great if you wanted to kill her!" I wasn't going to be able to hold it together much longer. If Hakuba and I weren't safe from the organization after this, then the kids were even less secure. I swallowed all the harsh words I wanted to yell at the Inspector. Nakamori had stayed and he was listening; he deserved an answer to his questions.

That being said, Nakamori just watched me calmly, if not with some contempt. His stare resembling one he'd use as if I'd come to him as Kaito and not Kid. I'd have to put the masks back up if I expected to keep deceiving him.

"Forgive me. For reasons I can't explain, revealing her real name, even to other officers, has a great potential of getting her killed," I lowed my voice a touch, only half conscious I was doing it, "even if you trust them. You're the only one I could think of who could handle this without getting anyone unnecessary involved. There's a number on the paper that you can call and they will help place the girl. I would like you to keep her safe until then." Kudo had given me the number of one of the FBI members and, since they already knew about the case, they knew the importance of making sure Kei went to a good home.

"What about your call? Answer me that question if you're going to answer my others! Why did you call me and have _me _go find Kaito-kun and Hakuba-kun. No one will tell me anything, just like you! Tell me why you didn't want me to go sooner!"

"Because neither of us could do anything with what had already been set in motion."

"Neither of us?"

I grinned in the dark, letting his mind make up whatever role that Kid could have played in that disaster. I didn't answer him and, after a while, he dropped it for a new question.

"Why go to me? That doesn't make any sense Kid! I'm the one who wants to see you behind bars the most!"

"Because I know you're a good man, Nakamori-san." I was at the window and the Inspector was ready for me like I knew he would be. I let him reaffirm his grasp on my wrist for a second longer than I usually would have before winking at him, "and I know you never give up once you set your mind on something." I was out the window and activating the glider in seconds, having slipped his hold again.

_Be careful Kid_

I turned back to him in shock but was already in the air. There was a disgruntled look on his face "Damn! I won't let you get away next time!"

I couldn't be sure I had heard his warning but the thought alone was enough to make me smile. He knew I'd been involved in the case with Hakuba somehow, even if he didn't know who I was.

"Don't get your hopes up!" I shouted over my shoulder, saluting him.


	34. Epilogue: Two plus Two Equals Fish

Okay, last chapter in a way, but for those of you that don't know, guess what? _**I'm making a SEQUEL!**_

YAY!

It's called "_**Behind Glass Eyes**_" and I'll post it as soon as I look over the first chapter again.  
This one has all the same characters but focuses on Snake instead of the Black Organization. I can't say that everything  
That I put in part one will stay in part one. I do tie up some loose ends. (Of course, I can't tell you what I mean ^_^)

Back to the last chapter. This was really fun.  
I would really like to hear back on what everyone thought of it. I thought it was a cute/funny yet kind of serious, totally follows  
the flow of the story, kind of ending.

Please review!

P.S. You do need to know that half of the story is not written in Kaito's point of view (for certain reasons)  
I FIXED UP THE THRID PERSON :)  
_So keep in mind, still having third person focus on Hakuba, some of the names may be reversed._

P.P.S. I do not drink. I'm twenty but a good girl. If anything is wrong with the alcohol, I'm sorry.  
What he's making (in the second sentence) is a Chocolate Martini for those who would be wondering.

**Okay, there seems to have been some confusion at one point. There is 'Tokyo Tower' and a new 'Tokyo Tower'.  
They ARE, in fact, different structures. _Tokyo Tower_ is Orange and white (The one I use in the story) whereas the  
_new Tokyo Tower_ is gray (and not used in the story, though I mention it)**

* * *

_**Epilogue: Two plus Two Equals Fish**_

I smiled coyly to myself from Professor Agasa's basement. Ai was in the room with me but ignored my musings. The dark chocolate liquid and cream were already in the container and I twirled the larger see-through bottle on my fingertips, second-guessing myself.

"I wouldn't do that" the scientist finally spoke up from over her research. I'd come to know her quite well in the last few weeks.

"Then I'm going to make it my goal to do everything you won't. Someone has to," I said humorously, pouring the clear fluid in to fill up the other half of the container. I put the top on and shook it up with the ice. I thought I saw her smile but once I blinked she was back to typing dourly on her computer. I shrugged.

"Did you have to use gin? You're supposed to make that with vodka."

"I don't think it makes a difference. What's wrong with gin?"

This time I was sure she was smiling, a touch more cynically then the last time.

"Nothing. Gin just has a way of coming back on you."

* * *

_(This part of the story will now be written in third person for obvious reasons)  
_

* * *

The three detectives watched as Ai made her way out of the basement, a mixture of anger and evil enjoyment printed across her face.

"What's Kuroba-kun been doing down there for so long?" The blond asked her.

"Believe me, you don't want to know. If he comes up I suggest you run."

Conan narrowed his eyes.

"Haibara, did you do something with your clothes?"

"I had to turn them inside out." She offered no explanation why. "I'm going to Ayumi-chan's. I won't be back until tomorrow." Ai closed the door, leaving the other three teens very confused.

"Hey K-Conan-kun, what did she mean by that?"

"I don't think I'll ever be able to understand her."

Saguru eyed the basement stairs for a minute to see if Kaito would follow her.

After nothing occured, the detective went back to his book. Saguru's house was still under construction and he'd been offered a place at the professor's until it was done. The Organization had done a good job of searching through all his positions; along with the beds, connecting walls, floorboards and plumbing, so it was completely uninhabitable for awhile. Conan came to see them almost every day and Heiji had followed, claiming it was more fun to be there after school than anywhere else, even if he was constantly traveling back and forth.

Saguru couldn't fight Heiji's presence since the annoying magician made it a habit to show up with him. Both Saguru and Conan had a monkey on their backs. Without having to hide behind a guise around any of them, Kaito had shown them all how very distracting he could be. Conan actually had to _try _on his homework, since Kaito had been coding it every opportunity he was presented with.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes later that Saguru had to put his book back down because of loud, crashing noises coming up from the basement.

"What is that idiot doing now?"

Conan sighed, putting away some papers he was working on so Kaito wouldn't mess with them. Heiji smiled. He was the only one who appreciated the magician's humor.

They didn't expect the latter to trip _up_ the stairs... _twice._

When Kaito reached the top he was giggling silently with one hand on his forehead and the other against the wall, unsuccessfully trying to balance himself.

The detectives looked at one another confused. The thief finally seemed to notice them, and he leaned against the wall he was supporting himself with, and put on an evil smile.

Kaito made slow and sloppy movements as he took out Kid's cape from around his waist. He placed the cape in front of himself to block his body from view; his shaky movements making it look like some invisible breeze was blowing it. The magician peeked out the side to make sure they were watching. When the cape fell away they _were _all shocked when Kaito was no longer there.

"Pretty cool, huh?" The magician asked from behind them. Saguru sighed and turned around, freezing when he caught sight of the other. Kaito had not only switched out his school clothes for a white t-shirt and pants, but his hair and eyebrows were white as well. If his coordination had been better, Kaito would have had white contacts in as well.

"Cool!" Heiji gave him the thumbs up and winced as he plugged his nose. "Geez, ya smell like a bar."

"Do not!" The thief wavered where he stood. Heiji's smile fell.

"Ah, Kuroba... are ya drunk?"

"Am not! I swear to you I'm not him! Why would I be drunk?"

Heiji shook his head as he tried to make some sense of Kaito's statement. It was clear that he was indeed a good deal intoxicated.

The magician snorted at the dark skinned boy before waving his cape back in his hands, somehow transported there from where it had fallen on the floor. "I'm not done," the newly white haired teen pouted. Saguru didn't have enough time to evade before Kaito threw the cape over him.

"Get away from me you imbecile!" Saguru ripped the cape away and saw Kaito's face smiling down at him. He'd felt the magician touch him even though it looked like he hadn't moved. Kaito quickly grabbed the cape back and threw it over Conan, who sat gapping at them.

Saguru was able to see the small boy's flaring red hair and matching clothes that Conanhadn't been wearing seconds ago. The detective looked down at the golden silk outfit he had on instead of his school uniform. He puzzled over how Kaito had changed his clothing so fast without him noticing. After turning his cuffs up and finding his original clothes hadn't been covered up, they were gone altogether, Saguru was even more baffled.

"Whoa, no ya don't!" Heiji tried to weave away from Kaito and his evil grin. The magician stumbled but was able to gain enough momentum by jumping off the couch to catch the Osakan teen in the thin material, bringing them both to the floor.

Heiji stared darkly down at a pair of purple jeans and a purple collared shirt. He streaked a hand through his radiant lilac hair that he would only see out of the corner of his eye.

"Why'd ya give _me_ the purple clothes?" he asked sourly.

"'Cause Hisa-chan said that you were purple" Kaito explained with a lopsided grin, "And I thought it would be fun to see things the way she does." Kaito stuck out his tongue as Saguru. "But since someone already had gold hair I could only make it look sparkly."

"What did you do to my hair?" the British perfectionist asked, combing through the strands with his fingers and finding the texture strange.

Kaito leaned over the couch and tried to grab Saguru's hand to make him stop irritating the oils he put in it. Unfortunately Saguru drew his arm in towards himself and the magician tumbled onto the couch, losing his balance, and falling into the detective's lap.

Kaito thought this was hilarious, and all Saguru could do was flush almost imperceptibly and try to push the other off of him.

"Aw you're so mean," Kaito mumbled as he rolled onto the floor.

Saguru looked around the room at how ridiculous they all appeared, like someone had made an attemt at a human rainbow. The detective wouldn't have put it past the magician if he took the liberty of dying their skin as well if he weren't so loaded.

"For someone who doesn't like the taste of alcohol, you sure must have drunk a lot." Conan looked down at his clothes. The material was nice but his hair was bothering him. His new red socks also had little smiley faces on them which wasn't his style at all.

"Didn't taste bad." Somehow the magician took out a flask that he couldn't have had anywhere on him since his own white shirt was button up and his white jean pants would have shown the bulge. "Try some," he offered Saguru.

"No thank you, I prefer being sober."

"Come on! It tastes good!"

"No thank you!" Saguru pushed the magician's hand away and Kaito shrugged.

"Fine, more for me."

"No more fer you." Heiji took the flask away as Kaito feebly tried to get it back.

Pouting, the magician sat on the floor. He soon got bored of that though and wandered around the room, footsteps both normal and even, or weaving and causing him to bump into more than one wall.

Heiji opened the flask and smelled inside. He looked puzzled for a minute before putting his finger in and trying to taste the contents.

"Don't do it Hattori," Kudo warned.

"I'm not gonna drink it! I wanted ta know what it was!" Heiji turned to Kaito who was on the other side of the room and had somehow gotten to the computer paper and had made an intricate miniature tree house out of the sheets. "Are ya sure this is alcohol?"

Kaito smiled back, grin uneven and eyes elsewhere. "I don't think I know who that is."

"I doubt you'll get anything out of him Hattori, he looks pretty wasted."

Heiji nodded. If he couldn't get the answers from the other, he wanted to taste it. Heiji just took a sip of the liquid, and he felt creamy and rich taste of it. There was a bitterness that tingled his throat but it was lost in the overwhelming sugary flavor.

"This is chocolate?" Hattori looked over as Kaito proceeded to make an entire city out of the paper. "Ya got drunk on chocolate?"

"Let me see," Saguru held out his hand. If he was good at one thing because of his British background, it was identifying liquor.

Heiji handed it over reluctantly. "It kinda tasted good."

Saguru reopened the flask and did smell the chocolate aroma. It wasn't real chocolate though, some elixir that held that smell. "Nope, it's alcohol. Don't drink anymore of it, I think it's strong."

Heiji took the flask back. He hadn't tasted any liquor. Because of his father and a few other social events of his own, he'd become aware of the taste and flavor of wine. He wasn't fond of it but it wasn't unknown to him. Heiji had always assumed that other alcoholic beverages had the same burning to them this wines did.

Kaito was back in the center of the room, leaving a mess near the professor's computer. He'd built a miniature model of the city of San Francisco.

"I'm bored!" Kaito announced, drawing all their attention. Heiji took the opportunity to hide behind the couch Saguru was sitting in and taste the drink again. He didn't want Kudo yelling at him for it afterwards. It wasn't as if the Osakan wanted to get drunk, he just wanted to check what it was.

The magician, in the meantime, was having fun with Conan. Since the boy was small, Kaito found it amusing to add things to his outfit. A large red necklace with chili peppers was placed around his neck, red hearts were drawn on his checks with something Conan hoped would wash off, and red cap was placed on his head. The boy could do nothing to stop it because overpowering Kaito was completely out of the question and he'd left his watch with the professor to get it fixed and didn't know where it was at the moment, or if it was even working. He'd have to get it back before this happened again.

Saguru could do nothing to help either. He'd tried to intervene after he saw how much Conan disliked the new hearts on his face but Kaito had turned on him and added gold hearts to his face as well. Saguru went back to sitting with a 'better him than me' attitude. It wasn't as if Kaito was hurting anybody.

Once he had nothing more to place on Conan, Kaito sat on the table in front of both of them.

"I have a headache!"

"Of course you do you booze hound, now go back to the basement until you're sober." Saguru took him by the arm. "I'll help you. It's been over a month now and you can finally move around so don't go hurting yourself."

"But I wanna stay here!" Kaito was physically crying and Saguru let him go, astonishment getting the best of him. "Don't make me go in the basement! I want to be up here with you guys."

Saguru ran a hand through his hair. "Fine but stop touching us. We don't like it."

"I'm sorry," Kaito continued to cry. "I thought it would be fun. I didn't – I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. It's not like you're going to remember this in a few hours."

"But I didn't mean to make you mad." Kaito slumped forward, "I must be a bad person. I do bad things even when I don't want to."

"Kuroba-kun you're not a bad person, you're just an idiot. Now shut up and stop crying already." Saguru had never, _never _seen the magician cry. Even as wasted as he was, Kaito was a very secretive person. It seemed wrong and out of place.

"Okay I'll be quiet." Kaito sat perfectly still and silent on the table. There were no swaying movements or anything that gave away that the magician was stone-cold drunk. His eyes were perfectly clear as well.

"Kuroba-kun, you're creeping me out." Saguru kicked the table after ten minutes of silence. "Move or something."

"But you told me I had to be quiet. I don't want to make you mad again." Kaito looked Saguru in the eyes and, for the first time, the detective could see the appeal of the boy adorning himself in white. It suited him. The hair made he look ethereal instead of like an old man.

"You won't make me mad as long as you don't touch me anymore. Go do whatever you feel like and make as much noise as you want."

Kaito smiled and the liveliness that he had been suppressing was back. "Okay, I wanna do something."

"What?" Saguru was almost afraid to ask.

"I wanna… I wanna… I don't know what I wanna do." Kaito smiled with half-lidded eyes. "I just wanna do something."

"Where's Hattori?" Conan's question brought Saguru back to the realization that he hadn't seen the other for some time.

"I don't know."

"Ya don't want ta know."

The Osakan's voice from behind him made Saguru jump.

"That was very rude!" He told the other.

"Ya well I didn't mean ta. I can't really think very well right now." Saguru could smell the chocolate liquor on him and figured out just what was wrong. Heiji looked dejectedly at Kudo. "Sorry but I drank more than I should 'ave. I don't think I'm sober anymore."

"I'm leaving." Saguru stood up. "As if Kuroba-kun wasn't bad enough. I _am not_ dealing with two idiots who think it's fun to get sloshed."

"Hey come back!" Kaito fell off the table but he did manage to grab onto Saguru's pant leg. The detective tried but couldn't get out of the magician's grip.

"Kuroba-kun you said you wouldn't touch me."

"I'm not touching you; I'm touching your clothes!" Kaito dug his fingers in deeper so that he couldn't be pried off. "You have to stay. It's no fun without you."

"How so? I'm sure you and Conan-kun will get along just fine. If you'd release me now, I'd appreciate it."

Saguru was surprised when Kaito complied with his request.

"I remembered what I wanted to do!" The magician jumped up with such enthusiasm that he bashed into the table behind him. Kaito swore aloud before his smile returned and he ran off down the street, not fully closing the door all the way behind him.

"Should we really let him run loose?" Conan wondered out loud. "Kid isn't the best creature to let drunk on the female population."

"I didn't even think of that," Saguru sighed. If anything happened he was sure the police would catch Kaito. How the thief would react to the officers, drunk, brought up new concerns. "Maybe we should follow him."

"I think yer too hard on him. He's a good guy. He ain't gonna go assaultin' women the first chance he gets." Heiji _tried _to sit down on the couch but, after a few minutes, settled for sitting on the floor and resting his head on top of the table. "He looked like he already had plans anyways."

Heiji wasn't as intoxicated as the magician and his logic did make sense. The detective sat down and got back to his book while Conan pulled out his papers. The Osakan just wanted the sourness in his stomach to fade. He didn't feel like throwing up.

…

After the first hour Saguru started to get worried.

"Shouldn't he have been back by now? I would think that he'd have returned, or that the police would have caught him by this time if he was up to anything." Saguru closed his watch as he spoke to Conan; it had been exactly one hour, seven minutes, and twelve seconds since the magician rushed out the door.

"I don't know. I wish I knew where he bought this hair dye though." Kudo had tried, after the magician was gone, to free his hair of its new red color. A shower hadn't worked at all and the red locks now dripped onto the towel around his shoulders.

"At least you're not Hattori-kun."

Saguru looked at the Osakan teen's light purple hair. It stood out drastically against his dark skin and made him look like he had cotton candy on his head.

Conan shrugged. _At least Hattori can hide his under a cap_.

"I don't care so much about what's in my hair as to where he put my school uniform." Saguru didn't have dye in his like Kudo did, and he figure he could get whatever was applied to his hair out before he had to go to school tomorrow. His clothes he couldn't be without. They'd both scoured the professor's house but hadn't come across them.

"Hey." Heiji lifted his head and looked around the room with unfocused eyes. "Now that ya mention it, I need my stuff too. He took my charm from me _again _an' Kazuha will kill me if she sees I don't 'ave it."

Kudo patted down his clothing and pockets. "He has my detective badge too."

Saguru gripped his watch tighter in his pocket. As careless as the magician had seemed with the belongings of the other two, he'd taken the time to make sure that Saguru still had his watch. It was a thoughtful gesture and it separated him from the other two. Saguru didn't know if that was a good or a bad sign where the magician was involved.

Kaito couldn't have gotten into that much trouble. Since he wasn't back yet maybe he'd passed out somewhere.

…

It was now five hours later and Saguru couldn't take it anymore.

The detective pulled out a small white phone, which he'd bought to replace his old one. He'd gotten the white for obvious teasing reasons later, and he dialed Kaito's number.

It went straight to the magician's machine which was him declaring that he was currently waging war on impromptu calling and so was not there to pick up the phone since he wasn't expecting a call. Saguru hung up without leaving a message.

"Calm down Hakuba-kun, he's not doing anything bad or we would have heard something by now. Hattori's already passed out so maybe Kuroba-kun is too."

Saguru looked down at Heiji who'd fallen asleep sitting at the table some time ago. _Yes but we're talking about Kuroba-kun._ Saguru remembered Conan referring to the magician's behavior in a similar way, _it's not like he follows the norm._

…

It was less than an hour-in-a-half after their conversation that Kaito came back in the house. He closed the door and stood against it, giggling to himself.

"I ran out," Kaito told them, white hair pressed down to his skin with sweat.

"Yes Kuroba-kun, you ran out of here six hours and thirty-two minutes ago" Saguru responded, glad that the other was safe at least.

"No I _ran out_."

The repetition of his statement didn't make it any clearer. Kaito made his way to Heiji and tried to wake him. The teen moan and blinked his eyes before covering his mouth with a hand. "What dya want?"

"I ran out," Kaito said before laughing again. "I didn't know it but I ran out so I had to mix it."

"Mix what?" Heiji could feel as his brain tried to work but it was just no use. "What're ya talkin' about?"

Kaito laughed and tired to pull Heiji up to his feet. The Osakan attempted to but it took him a while to get up and then, as Kaito led him across the room, his footsteps were just as unsteady. Kaito put him down near the large TV before going back over to the other two.

"Come see! It's not so good 'cause I ran out though."

"Kuroba-kun I have no idea what you're talking about. You've gotten my attention though, and if it'll make you happy, I'll come."

"Yay!" The magician actually jumped up and down. "You too Conan-kun!"

"Only if you tell me how to get this out of my hair." The small boy's gaze was steady and he was serious. If Conan waited until Kaito was sober again, he wouldn't be going to school.

"Oh sorry, you have to use vinegar. It's gonna stink but it comes right out. Its special hair dye my dad made so that you can go swimmin'!"

"And our clothes?" Saguru asked.

Kaito had to think about it. "I think I put them in the car before I left."

"You think?"

"They're there, so come on!" Kaito ushered the other two, tripping over his own feet a few times in the rush to get them over to the television.

"How much to you want to bet whatever he's going to show us is not good?" Conan asked once they sat down.

"Everything, I wouldn't be stupid enough to think otherwise if he's making us watch the television."

"I feel bad that I ran out" Kaito told them again. Saguru still couldn't understand what it was that he was referring to. The magician turned on the TV.

It wasn't good.

It wasn't cataclysmically _bad_ but it certainly wasn't _good_.

"I thought about working on the new Tokyo Tower but its gray already and it wouldn't have worked. I wish I hadn't run out."

"Kuroba-kun," Saguru took a second to breathe, the people on the news channel seemed to have a hard time believing what they were seeing as well. "You _did not_ paint Tokyo tower blue."

"I wish!" Kaito exclaimed. "I told you I ran out!"

Saguru watched as the camera spanned the lattice work of the building. The majority of it was a reflective metallic blue and the white streaks that used to be painted across were pink.

"How did you do that?" Conan's eyes were wide. _The sun was only now starting to set! How had the magician pulled something of the magnitude off in front of thousands of people?_

"It was easy" Kaito put his hands behind his head. "I didn't want anything to hit it though, like planes and stuff when they're flying, so I had to be careful with my colors. Orange and white are just so boring."

"Kuroba," Saguru still couldn't believe what he was seeing. "I am amazed by what you can get away with."

Heiji just watched, dumbfounded. "I didn't actually think you were gonna do it. Damn, I mean, that was a joke!"

"Nope! I said I'd do it when I was drunk, but I'm not… Hm. I did it anyway. You should have seen how much the wind blew me!" Kaito started laughing again. Unlike Heiji, the alcohol didn't seem to be wearing off for him.

"Did anybody see you?" Now that Saguru was able to look away from the television, he noticed Kaito had on different clothes and there were large splotches under his shirt where the paint had stained his skin.

"'Course nobody saw me! I put a big cloth just like I did with the clock and then I had this spray thing. I don't know, I guess it's kind of like a – wait!" Kaito shut himself up. "I'm not telling! That gives away the magic!"

Kaito let his head fall and started giggling. "They know I did it though."

"What?" Any amusement Saguru may have been feeling at the stupid stunt vanished. Of course Kaito was smart enough to use water-soluble paint but Tokyo Tower was a landmark! He could get in serious trouble. "Who knows that you did it?"

"Everyone!" Kaito spread his hands out. He sat down next to the three detectives for the first time, energy still failing around widely. He pointed back to the TV, which they all they all had taken their eyes off of. "Look!"

In the center part of the tower, on the first observation deck that was now pink, was a large Kaitou Kid caricature showing a peace sign in vivid black paint.

"See?"

"Kuroba you are going to be in so much trouble when you're sober," Saguru warned him. "That was really stupid."

Kaito shrugged, happy. "I don't really care. I like it!"

"You have ta admit, it's pretty awesome." Heiji backed off when the Conan turned on him. "I'm just sayin'. I couldn't have done somethin' like that even if I wanted to. Even if they _let_ me."

Saguru turned off the set.

Kaito laughed before reaching into his pocket for his phone. Saguru saw that the teen had it turned off, which was why his call hadn't gone through. The brightness of the screen against the setting sun prompted the detective to go turn on one of the lights.

Kaito whistled. "You called me," he raised his head to indicated Saguru, "Aoko called me… _seventeen times_" Kaito whistled again, "and mom called."

"I don't think your mother would have like you doing that either."

"Aw, you really don't know mom that well, do ya?" Kaito lay back on the bed they were sitting on that had the best view of the screen. "She's probably laughing. I may have made her think I'm drunk now."

"Kuroba-kun," Saguru hardened his voice "You are drunk."

"Um…" the magician/ thief/ graffiti artisan mumbled, closing his eyes.

"Are you falling asleep?" Saguru asked him. No response came.

"I can't believe he just passes out after doing something like that." Conan stared at Kaito's unconscious form, mouth slightly open form trying to reply to Hakuba's questions. "I'm sure it must have tired him out, but still."

"Let's just get our clothes back and this stuff out of our hair. We'll worry about the rest tomorrow."

* * *

_(It is now back to first person/Kaito because… well, he's cognitive now)_

* * *

_I had to go to the bathroom._ It was the first and only thought that passed through my brain when I woke up.

I rolled over and, instead of finding the edge of the bed, I hit the foot of it and banged my head against the wooden frame.

"Ouch!" I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. _Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom._

I was in the professor's living room. The bathroom was that way.

"Kuroba-kun, you're awake." Hakuba turned the corner, coming out of one of the bedrooms.

"Later!" I yelled as I ran pasted him. I made in to the toilet in time to throw up.

"That should teach you not to drink in the future. I hear hangovers aren't something to laugh at."

I heard the self-righteousness in his voice but I couldn't fight back as I continued to heave in the toilet bowl. It didn't take long to stop and I felt like my head was going to explode. I flushed the toilet and found a small towel to wash my face. "What happened?"

"Do you remember getting drunk?"

"Ah, I remembered Ai-chan and I remember drinking." I tried to think back. "Everything after that is very blurry."

"Yes, she's back now. Is that all you remember?"

I tried to think, but the headache! The pain was so bad that I couldn't focus on anything. "I remember everything was very colorful."

That made the detective laugh, though I didn't know why.

"Because of you, everything was rather colorful. You took the opportunity to relieve Conan-kun, Hattori-kun, and I of our outfits for ones you procured for us. They were very… colorful. You also seemed to think our hair should be colorful as well."

I laughed. "Oh really? I don't remember doing that."

"You wouldn't. You were so drunk yesterday I don't think you'd remember if you had kissed an elephants butt."

"Please don't say that. _Did _I do anything that bad?" I tried hard to conjure up the memories of yesterday. It had been cold out. I remembered that. "Was I outside?"

"Without a jacket. None of us noticed until you passed out and we saw you had a fever again." Hakuba sighed. "And yes, you did do something bad, though I don't think you'd take it the same way we did."

"What was it?"

Hakuba showed me the afternoon news of what had happened last night.

"I _did not_ do that." I looked over at the detective for some reassurance. He nodded his head.

"You proudly came up to us and told us that you had. You were in the process of also telling us how you had done it but you didn't get far, so I'm still interested about that part of your late night adventure." We both stared at the reporter as she started mentioning Kaitou Kid and I saw the doodle that could have only been done by me.

I started laughing. "I can't believe I actually did it."

"You will not be getting drunk in the future." It made me laugh more with how serious Hakuba was. Laughing only made my head hurt so I tried to cut it off.

"Don't worry it was just an experiment, won't happen again." _Until I'm legal… maybe._

"What had to be the most amusing thing though, was what you were dreaming about. We all had to sleep in the same room in the basement to get away from you because you were so loud."

"I _do not _talk in my sleep!" That was one thing I was sure about. I'd had my mom make certain that I didn't, I wouldn't have risked the few sleepovers at Aoko's otherwise.

"Maybe not when you're sober but you absolutely do it when you're intoxicated." Hakuba didn't even try to hide how happy he was about that fact and it made me angry.

"What did I say?"

"With all that had happened, I thought you were going to have nightmares about the Organization." The detective lowered his voice in a dismal expression, "especially when I heard you whimpering."

_Even unconscious, I couldn't imagine myself doing that. I do not 'whimper' in front of people. _

Hakuba chuckled, amusement clear and unclouded by my assumptions in favor of his memories. "I was wrong. You cried 'don't let the goldfish get me!' and I knew you were all right."

"I did not!" I knew I was blushing. I hated letting people know how much fish scared me, goldfish in particular were ugly and just thinking about them made me shiver.

"Come on you guys!" I heard Hattori yell from somewhere in the house. "Tell me how to get it out!"

Kudo walked into the living room with us. He shouted back to the Osakan, "No you shouldn't have gotten drunk either!" before looking at me. "Be thankful that we let you get away with that last night."

"I am." It hadn't even crossed my mind before now that the detectives could have turned me in last night for what I'd done to the tower.

"Come on!" Hattori complained. He came into the room and I just stared at him.

"What happened to you?" I asked him. His hair was bright purple.

"You happened to me!" He sighed but it was a happy one. "Now that yer up can ya tell me how to get it out? Kudo – damn Conan-,"

"You don't need to keep correcting yourself. I think we're all getting tired of it." Hakuba looked down at Kudo. "I may not understand it, but I know. Which name do you prefer?"

Kudo looked up at him sideways and remained silent for a moment. He closed his eyes. "Whichever you like."

"Very well." Hakuba bent down and put his hand out, "Nice to meet you Kudo-kun."

Kudo looked at him in surprise before smiling and shaking his hand. "Likewise."

"Now how do you get this out?" Hattori asked desperately.

"Ah…" I had to think. "Which kind did I use?"

"How should I know?"

_I did recognize the hair dye and knew how to get it out. Where was the fun in just telling him?_

"I don't know… I only have one purple dye, since it's not a very fun color, and that one is permanent."

"Permanent! Yer kidding me right?"

I shook my head. _Damn it was so hard to keep from smiling_. Hakuba caught on.

"Too bad Hattori-kun, looks like you're going to have to deal with the purple hair." Hakuba nudged him with an elbow. "At least everyone will be able to recognize you. The purple haired beast of Osaka."

Hattori's expression did it. I started laughing and the detective joined in, when Kudo saw our expressions he laughed as well. Hattori looked at me like he wanted to kill me.

"That was so not funny!"

"Sure," I laughed. "That wasn't funny, it was hilarious!"

Hattori laughed along, out of relief. "Fine then, how do ya get it out?"

"Vinegar."

"What?"

"Vin-a-gar" I pronounced slowly.

"I heard ya!" Hattori bit back. "Where does the professor keep it Ku-do?" The Osakan almost stopped saying his name now, out of habit.

"It's under the cabinet in the bathroom," Hakuba pointed behind him. "Kuroba-kun you should use it to."

"Why?" I looked at my bangs and saw how white my hair was. "What did I do that for?"

"You claimed it was because of Hisa-chan."

_Oh, that made sense now! I wondered why I'd given Hattori purple hair._

"Sounds like it was fun hanging out with drunk me."

"Until you started crying," Hakuba said. "The clothes and hair weren't that bad but I don't know how to deal with you when you're upset."

_I did not start crying. _Everything Hakuba had been telling me so far had been the truth though, so it was harder to deny it than it was to believe him.

"I must really trust you then." I smiled to myself and felt happy. "I've only ever cried in front of Aoko, and even that was only a few times." I looked at the three of them. They all came from different upbringings, they all looked, acted and spoke differently, and they all were after me. "That's some messed up friendship."

"But it _is _friendship" Hattori spoke up first. "I don't care if yer a thief, yer a good person and I trust ya."

He held out his hand and I shook it. "I don't care if you're a detective either," I joked back. Hakuba put his hand on ours and Kudo was tall enough to do this same, though he turned away, narrowing his eyes and chuckling

"If feels like I should yell 'break' and we all go running out on the field."

Everyone laughed at that and we dropped our hands.

It was strange, but not unwelcome, associating myself with them. It may not be possible for me to work with them in the future, Phantom thieves do their best work solo after all, but one thing was sure…

Things were definitely going to be interesting from now on.


End file.
